Vikram Misri, a 1989-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service, took charge as the 35th Foreign Secretary on Monday. Mr. Misri who served as a Deputy National Security Adviser before the current assignment, served in China during the 2020 Galwan conflict and is also known to have extensive contacts in conflict-torn Myanmar where he served as India’s Ambassador during 2016-18. He has taken over from the 34th Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra.
“Congratulate Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri as he assumes his new responsibility today. Wish him a productive and successful tenure,” External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said in a social media post soon after Mr. Misri took charge in the South Block.
The 1964-born Ambassador Misri has served in multiple Indian missions spread across the world in locations such as Brussels, Tunis, Islamabad, Washington DC, Munich and the Sri Lankan capital Colombo where he was Deputy High Commissioner of India. Before being posted to Myanmar, Mr. Misri served as Indian envoy to Spain in 2014.
In the current circumstances, Mr. Misri will be expected to provide policy directives to the Government of India in dealing with the dynamics generated by the Israel-Palestine crisis, the continuing war in Ukraine and the upcoming U.S. election. MEA insiders have suggested that Mr. Kwatra is expected to proceed to the U.S. as the next Indian ambassador to Washington D.C.
Within the foreign policy circle here, Mr. Misri is known for his ability to correctly analyse the political situation of the countries where he had served. In this regard, his two postings in Myanmar and China stand out as he had dealt with difficult political situations in these countries under great professional pressure.
With the three postings in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, he became a Foreign Secretary who has extensive regional experience. His elevation at a time when the internal conflict in Myanmar is spiralling out of control is another factor that makes his posting noteworthy. French-speaking Mr. Misri is also one of the rare envoys posted to China who did not know the language.
Mr. Misri, born in Srinagar, has worked as the Private Secretary of Prime Ministers Narendra Modi, I.K. Gujral, and Manmohan Singh. His experience is a reflection of his understanding of the bureaucratic and national security network within the government. A graduate of the Hindu College in the University of Delhi, Mr. Misri had started his career making advertisements for Lintas India in Bombay and Contract Advertising in Delhi.
