New Delhi

Abhay Thakur, Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of 1992 batch, will be India's next ambassador to Russia. Formerly the high commissioner to Mauritius and Nigeria, Thakur will replace the present ambassador Pavan Kapoor of 1990 batch. 

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The incumbent Kapoor will be appointed as new Secretary (west) in the Ministry of External Affairs.

Who is Abhay Thakur?

Thakur is an engineer-turned-diplomat. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1992. After serving as high commissioner of India to Mauritius and Nigeria, Thakur played a distinguished role as Office on Special Duty (OSD) at Ministry of External Affairs during the recent New Delhi G20 Leaders Summit.

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He has studied at the Indian Institute of Management Mumbai which was previously known as the National Institute of Industrial Engineering in Mumbai.

Thakur will take over as India's ambassador in Moscow at a time when the 'special and privileged partnership' between the two countries has managed to stay consistent despite an evolving geopolitical landscape in the wake of war in Ukraine. 

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In other new appointments, Indian Ambassador to Austria, Jaideep Mazumdar will take over as Secretary (East) in the MEA with Shambhu Kumaran going to Vienna from Manila.

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With India's permanent representative to UN Ruchika Kamboj scheduled to retire on May 31, the interest remains on who will make it to New York as India's permanent representative to the United Nations. Kamboj will leave New York after a distinguished tenure in which she vociferously led India's consistent case for reforms at the United Nations Security Council and held on to India's status as flagbearer of reformed multilateralism. 

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There also remains speculation on who will succeed Taranjit Sandhu, who retired on January 31, as the Indian ambassador to the US.