India’s High Commissioner to the UK, Navtej Singh Sarna, has been appointed the new Ambassador to the US. He will succeed the current envoy Arun Singh.
“Navtej Singh Sarna has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the United States of America. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Thursday.
A veteran Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1980 batch, Sarna was Secretary (West) in the Foreign Ministry prior to becoming High Commissioner to the UK.
He held the position of spokesperson of the MEA for a long period from 2002 till 2008.
Sarna’s appointment to the US comes at a time when the country is heading towards a Presidential election that is marked with fierce political campaigning.
He will also play an instrumental role in taking forward the bilateral ties between India and the US, both in strategic and economic terms. India and US defence ties are at an all-time high, while two-way trade reached $110 billion last year.
Both sides are now aiming at $500 billion in goods and services trade.
Sarna also served as India’s Ambassador to Israel from 2008-2012.