Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi has been appointed as India's next Permanent Representative to the United Nations, the ministry announced on Monday. Currently, Indira Mani Pandey serves in the position.
Bagchi is expected to take up the appointment shortly, the MEA said. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1995 and serves as an Additional Secretary in the MEA.
Bagchi replaced Anurag Srivastava as spokesperson in March 2021. His tenure was eventful as it spanned the COVID-19 pandemic, the standoff with China in eastern Ladakh, India hosting the G20 Summit in September this year and the increased pace of India's engagements with various partners.
Before becoming the ministry spokesperson, Bagchi previously served as Indian ambassador to Croatia for almost one and a half years from November 2018 to June 2020. He also served as deputy high commissioner to Sri Lanka and director of the Prime Minister's Office.
Indra Mani Pandey was appointed as Permanent Representative Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva on September 5, 2020. A career diplomat, Pandey served as envoy to Oman , Deputy Ambassador of India to France and Consul General of India at Guangzhou in China.
