The Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement, announced that Vinay Kumar has been appointed India’s next ambassador to Russia. The Ministry of External Affairs also announced a host of new ambassadors of India appointed to different countries. All the new appointees are expected to take up their new assignments shortly, said the Ministry of External Affairs.

Ambassador to Russia

1992 batch Indian Foreign Service officer Vinay Kumar, who is presently the ambassador to Myanmar, has been named the next ambassador to Russia.

Ambassador to Cuba

The 1997 batch of Indian Foreign Service officer T. Armstrong Changsan has been appointed the next ambassador of India to Cuba. T. Armstrong Changsan is currently posted as a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs.

Ambassador to Iraq

The 1993 batch of Indian Foreign Service officer Soumendu Bagchi has been appointed the next ambassador of Iraq. Soumendu Bagchi is currently the DDG, Indian Council for World Affairs(ICWA).

Ambassador to Chile

1995 batch Indian Foreign Service officer Ms Abhilasha Joshi has been appointed the next Indian ambassador to the South American country Chile. Ms Abhilasha Joshi is currently an Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs.

Ambassador to Slovenia

The 1995 batch of Indian Foreign Service officer L. Prashant Pise has been appointed as the Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia. Currently, he is India’s ambassador to Iraq.

Who appoints the Ambassador of India?

The President of India appoints a person as India’s Ambassador or High Commissioner on the recommendation of the Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister, subject to agreement by the receiving country. This means that if Russia refuses to accept Vinay Kumar as Indian Ambassador, then the government of India will have to change its representative or leave the post vacant.

Difference between Ambassador and High Commissioner

Every sovereign country appoints a senior diplomat to a foreign country to represent and safeguard its national interest. The senior diplomat is either called an Ambassador or a High Commissioner.

High Commissioner

When a country which is a member of the Commonwealth appoints a senior diplomat to another commonwealth country, then the senior diplomat will be called as High Commissioner. For example, a senior Indian diplomat to Britain will be called as High Commissioner.

The Commonwealth is an association of Independent countries who were once part of the British empire. At present 56 countries are members of the commonwealth.

Ambassador

Senior diplomat appointed to a country that is not a commonwealth member is called Ambassador. For e.g. India’s ambassador to Russia, the United States of America, France, etc. These countries are not members of the Commonwealth.