January 29, 2020
It is both an honour as well as a humbling experience for me to take charge as Foreign Secretary of India. I am conscious I am stepping into the shoes of many distinguished seniors and stalwarts who have occupied this office in the past. I am proud to serve in the MEA, alongside my colleagues who are amongst the finest, dedicated professionals serving the nation. I remain as passionate about the Ministry and its role in our nation building as I did as a young probationer.
The primary objective of the MEA and the IFS is to advance our national interests across the world and serve the people of India, wherever they may be. We are service providers to our citizens and our people, whether at home or abroad. Enhancing the security and prosperity of India through external ties and the well-being of all Indians, wherever they may be, is our mission statement.
As Foreign Secretary, I look forward to working with India’s many partners in the international system – in enhancing developmental and economic linkages, as well as connectivities, with our neighbours; building synergies with major powers; seeking a shared, undifferentiated and unambiguous approach to terrorism and the threat it poses to free societies; and sustaining the gains of a rules-based multilateral order.
Sharing the Indian developmental experience with countries of the global south, especially with our friends in Africa and Latin America, will continue to be a priority. I look forward to the opening of new missions and the inauguration of new initiatives.
I entered the Foreign Service during the Cold War and I am entering the Foreign Secretary’s office at a time when global warming has become a pressing concern. Several other recent opportunities and challenges related to the cyber domain and emerging technologies will also receive our attention. The MEA fully appreciates the critical nature of these issues for our country and planet.
Under the overall guidance of the Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister, I will strive to provide the basis for a dynamic and responsive diplomacy, one that is alive to the requirements of a new India.
New Delhi
January 29, 2020
Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Foreign Secretary
Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla is a career diplomat and a member of the Indian Foreign Service since 1984. In the course of a diplomatic career spanning over 35 years, he has held a variety of positions in New Delhi and abroad. He has served Ambassador of India to the United States of America, Kingdom of Thailand and as High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh. He has also served in France (UNESCO); USA (UN, New York); Vietnam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City); Israel and South Africa (Durban).
Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla has served in the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi as Joint Secretary (Director General) responsible for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Maldives. He has also headed the United Nations Political and SAARC Divisions in the Ministry. Earlier, he served as Director of the Northern Division dealing with Nepal and Bhutan and as Deputy Secretary of the Europe West Division.
Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla has graduated from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University and has worked in the Corporate and Public Sectors in India prior to joining the Indian Foreign Service. He has pursued courses and published papers on conflict prevention, economic diplomacy, the Indian diaspora and India-Bangladesh relations.Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla speaks French, Vietnamese and Nepalese apart from English and Indian languages. He is married to Mrs. Hemal Shringla and has one son.
Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla assumed charge as the Foreign Secretary of India on 29 January 2020.