Vinay Mohan Kwatra

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Vinay Mohan Kwatra

| image = Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., April 11, 2024 (cropped).jpg

| honorific_suffix = IFS

| alt =

| caption = Kwatra in November 2023

| office = 29th Ambassador of India to the United States

| term_start = 13 August 2024

| president = Droupadi Murmu

| term_end =

| predecessor = Taranjit Singh Sandhu

| successor =

| office1 = 34th Foreign Secretary of India

| term_start1 = 1 May 2022

| primeminister1 = Narendra Modi

| minister1 = S. Jaishankar

| term_end1 = 14 July 2024

| predecessor1 = Harsh Vardhan Shringla{{cite news |last1=Haidar |first1=Suhasini |title=Former PMO official Vinay Kwatra to be next Foreign Secretary |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/vinay-mohan-kwatra-appointed-indias-new-foreign-secretary-government/article65289783.ece |access-date=4 May 2022 |work=The Hindu |date=4 April 2022 |language=en-IN}}

| successor1 = Vikram Misri

| office2 = 25th Ambassador of India to Nepal

| term_start2 = March 2020

| term_end2 = April 2022

| predecessor2 = Manjeev Singh Puri

| successor2 = Naveen Srivastava

| office3 = 24th Ambassador of India to France

| term_start3 = July 2017

| term_end3 = February 2020

| predecessor3 = Dr. Mohan Kumar

| successor3 = Jawed Ashraf

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|12|15|df=yes}}

| birth_place = India

| party =

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| spouse = Pooja

| partner =

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| children = 2 sons

| parents =

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| education = M.Sc

| occupation = Indian Foreign Service

| profession = Diplomat

| known_for =

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| alma_mater = G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology
Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies

}}

Vinay Mohan Kwatra, (born 15 December 1962) is an Indian diplomat and a Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer who served as the 34th Foreign Secretary of India, from May 2022 until July 2024{{Cite news |agency=PTI |date=2022-04-04 |title=Vinay Mohan Kwatra appointed India's new Foreign Secretary: Government |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/vinay-mohan-kwatra-appointed-indias-new-foreign-secretary-government/article65289783.ece |access-date=2022-04-04 |issn=0971-751X}}{{Cite web |agency=PTI|date=May 1, 2022 |title=Vinay Mohan Kwatra takes charge as new foreign secretary {{!}} India News - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/vinay-mohan-kwatra-takes-charge-as-new-foreign-secretary/articleshow/91228932.cms |access-date=2022-05-04 |website=The Times of India |language=en}} and is currently serving as Ambassador of India to the United States.{{Cite web |title=Vinay Mohan Kwatra Takes Charge As India's Ambassador To US |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/vinay-mohan-kwatra-takes-charge-as-indias-ambassador-to-us-6325242 |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=NDTV.com}}{{Cite news |last=Haidar |first=Suhasini |date=2024-07-19 |title=Former Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra named new Indian Ambassador to the U.S, to take charge soon |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/vinay-mohan-kwatra-appointed-as-the-next-ambassador-of-india-to-the-us/article68421028.ece |access-date=2024-07-20 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}} Previously, he has served as the Ambassador of India to France and Nepal.{{Cite web |title=India picks Vinay Mohan Kwatra as its new ambassador to Nepal |url=https://kathmandupost.com/2/2020/01/14/india-picks-vinay-mohan-kwatra-as-its-new-ambassador-to-nepal |access-date=2021-07-15 |website=kathmandupost.com |language=English}}

Early life and education

Vinay Mohan Kwatra was born on 15 December 1962.{{cite news |title=WHO IS VINAY MOHAN KWATRA? |url=https://www.business-standard.com/about/who-is-vinay-mohan-kwatra#collapse |access-date=4 May 2022 |work=Business Standard India}} He holds a degree of B Sc Agriculture and Animal Husbandry (Hons.) from G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, and Master's in Science (M.Sc.).{{Cite web |title=Vinay Mohan Kwatra : कौन हैं देश के नए विदेश सचिव विनय मोहन क्वात्रा, पंत विवि से रहा है गहरा नाता |url=https://www.jagran.com/uttarakhand/nainital-new-foreign-secretary-vinay-mohan-kwatra-has-studied-at-gb-pant-agricultural-university-22602183.html |access-date=2022-05-04 |website=Dainik Jagran |language=hi}}{{Cite web |last=Rastogi |first=Manthan |date=2022-04-10 |title=गर्व के पल: पंतनगर यूनिवर्सिटी के छात्र रहे विनय मोहन क्वात्रा होंगे देश के नए विदेश सचिव |url=https://haldwanilive.com/gb-pant-university-student-vinay-mohan-kwatra-new-foreign-secretary-of-india/ |access-date=2022-05-04 |website=Uttarakhand News |language=en-US}} Kwatra speaks French, Hindi and English. He has also obtained a diploma in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.{{Cite web |title=Vinay Mohan Kwatra, India's ambassador to Nepal, to take over from Shringla as Foreign Secretary |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/vinay-mohan-kwatra-foreign-secretary-7852550/ |access-date=2022-04-08 |website=indianexpress.com |date=4 April 2022 |language=English}}

Career

He has previously served at Ministry of External Affairs, India and Prime Minister's Office as Joint Secretary. He has also served as Minister (Commerce) at the Embassy of India in Washington D.C. from May 2010 to July 2013. Between July 2013 and October 2015, Mr. Kwatra headed the Policy Planning & Research Division of the Ministry of External Affairs and later served as the head of the Americas Division in the Foreign Ministry where he dealt with India's relations with the United States and Canada.{{cite news |title=Vinay Mohan Kwatra, India's Ambassador To Nepal, To Be New Foreign Secretary |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/vinay-mohan-kwatra-indias-ambassador-to-nepal-to-be-new-foreign-secretary-2861921 |access-date=4 May 2022 |work=NDTV.com}} He has served at different positions in many of India's missions abroad and in India. Kwatra holds an experience of nearly 32 years in a range of assignments and joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1988.

=Foreign Secretary=

On 4 April 2022, it was announced that Mr. Kwatra will succeed Harsh Vardhan Shringla to assume the post of the Foreign Secretary of India upon the latter's superannuation of the post on 30 April 2022.{{Cite news|date=2022-04-04|title=Vinay Mohan Kwatra announced as the new foreign secretary|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/vinay-mohan-kwatra-india-s-ambassador-to-nepal-to-be-new-foreign-secretary-101649073091154.html|work=Hindustan Times|language=en}} On 1 May, he became the 34th Foreign Secretary of India and was succeeded by Vikram Misri on 14 July 2024.{{cite news |title=Vinay Mohan Kwatra takes charge as new Foreign Secretary |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/vinay-mohan-kwatra-takes-charge-as-new-foreign-secretary/article65372676.ece |access-date=4 May 2022 |work=The Hindu |date=1 May 2022 |language=en-IN}}{{Cite web |date=2024-06-28 |title=Vikram Misri named India's next foreign secretary, who is he? |url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/vikram-misri-named-indias-next-foreign-secretary-who-is-he-13787252.html |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=Firstpost |language=en-us}}

Personal life

He is married to Pooja Kwatra. The couple has two sons.{{cite web|url=https://www.eoiparis.gov.in/page/amb-profile/ |website=Embassy of India, Paris|title=Ambassador of India H.E. Vinay Mohan Kwatra|access-date=2019-12-08}}