IFS officer Vikram Misri will be the new Foreign Secretary

NEW DELHI : Deputy National Security Advisor (NSA) Vikram Misri was on Friday named the next Foreign Secretary, a government notification said. Misri, a 1989 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, will be appointed as India’s new Foreign Secretary with effect from July 15, 2024, succeeding the incumbent Vinay Kwatra.

“The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shri Vikram Misri, IFS (1989), Deputy National Security Advisor in the National Security Council Secretariat to the post of Foreign Secretary w.e.f 15th July 2024 vice Shri Vinay Kwatra,” said the order issued by the Ministry of Personnel.

The committee also approved the curtailment of Misri’s tenure as the Deputy NSA, the order read further.

Notably, incumbent Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra was given a six months’ extension in March this year. However, the order has now been modified and Kwatra’s tenure will end on July 14.

Misri has an extensive background in diplomacy, having served as private secretary to three Indian prime ministers: Inder Kumar Gujral, Manmohan Singh, and Narendra Modi. As one of the Ministry of External Affairs’ foremost experts on China, his most recent ambassadorial role was in Beijing. In January 2022, he was appointed to the National Security Council Secretariat.

The senior IFS officer also played a pivotal role in maintaining communications with the Xi Jinping administration in China following the 2020 standoff in eastern Ladakh and the subsequent Galwan Valley clash between Indian and Chinese forces.

Born in Srinagar in 1964, Misri completed his early education in Gwalior. He holds an undergraduate degree in history from Hindu College, Delhi University, and an MBA from XLRI.

Misri began his diplomatic career in the Indian Foreign Service as part of the 1989 batch. In his early years, he served at Indian missions in Brussels and Tunis. In 2014, he was appointed as India’s ambassador to Spain, followed by a posting as ambassador to Myanmar in 2016. Additionally, he has served in various Indian missions across Africa and North America.