• Deputy National Security Adviser Vikram Misri was appointed as India’s next foreign secretary.

• Misri, a 1989-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, will succeed incumbent Vinay Kwatra who is likely to be appointed as India’s ambassador to the US.

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the name of Misri, the deputy NSA in the National Security Council Secretariat, to the post of foreign secretary with effect from July 15.

• Misri’s appointment comes as India looks to navigate various foreign policy challenges including its frosty ties with China following the eastern Ladakh border row.

• He has the rare distinction of serving as private secretary to three Prime Ministers — Inder Kumar Gujral, Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi.

• Before he was appointed as the deputy NSA, Misri served as India’s ambassador to China from 2019-2021.

• Misri, 59, is believed to have played a key role in talks between India and China after tensions flared significantly following the Galwan Valley clashes in June, 2020.

• The ties between the two countries majorly nosedived following a fierce clash in the Galwan Valley that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

• Misri was born on November 7, 1964 in Srinagar. He graduated from Hindu College, University of Delhi. He later earned an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur.

• In his illustrious career, Misri also served as India’s ambassador to Spain (2014-2016) and Myanmar (2016-2018) besides having stints in many Indian missions including Pakistan, the US, Germany, Belgium and Sri Lanka.

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