India's new envoy to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu to present credentials on Feb 6

Four days after arriving in Washington DC, India's new United States envoy, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, will be presenting his credentials to US President Donald Trump on February 6. According to reports, the usual wait time to present credentials can be anywhere between two to four months, however, senior officials reportedly said that the prompt credentialing is due to Trump's India visit later this month and also a sign of the high importance the US attaches to India.

Senior Indian Foreign Service officer (IFS) Taranjit Singh Sandhu took charge as the Indian Ambassador to the US on Tuesday. According to reports, Sandhu received a warm welcome from Deputy Chief of Mission Amit Kumar and other officials. Just like the previous Ambassador to the US and now the Foreign Secretary, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Sandhu is also speedily scheduled for the formal ceremony in the Oval Office at the White House and his most immediate task is Trump's India visit, followed by keeping up the momentum in bilateral ties. 

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Former Sri Lankan ambassador 

Prior to becoming the Ambassador to the US, Sandhu has been an ambassador to Sri Lanka. A 1988-batch IFS officer, Sandhu has served twice before at the Indian mission in the US. His appointment to the high-profile job comes at a critical time when the US-India strategic partnership is deepening and also tensions are simmering in the Gulf region after the US killed top Iranian commander General Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad.

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According to the Embassy of India, “Ambassador Sandhu was Consul General of India in Frankfurt from September 2011 to July 2013. He has worked in the Ministry of External Affairs in various capacities: as Joint Secretary (United Nations) from March 2009 to August 2011; and later as Joint Secretary (Administration) heading the Human Resource Division. He was Officer on Special Duty (Press Relations), Ministry of External Affairs from December 1995 to March 1997, and was responsible for liaison with foreign media in India”. 

Sandhu’s position in Colombo is expected to be filled by Gopal Baglay, presently as additional secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Shringla was appointed for the post of Foreign Secretary last month after replacing Vijay Gokhale who had completed two years in office. Shringla, the former Indian Ambassador to the United States has become the 33rd Foreign Secretary of India.

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