India’s new ambassador to Washington meets President Trump

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Ambassador Harsh V. Shringla, India’s new envoy to the United States, met President Trump Jan. 11, to present his credentials.

Shringla, who took charge Jan. 9, replaces retiring Ambassador Navtej Sarna, He is a career diplomat and a member of the Indian Foreign Service since 1984, and has held a variety of positions in New Delhi and abroad.

“Honoured to present my #credentials as #Ambassador of #India to the #USA to President Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump @POTUS at the Oval Office of the White House on 11 January 2019,” Shringla tweeted Jan. 14.

He has served as High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh and Ambassador of India to Thailand. Shringla was part of India’s United Nations  Mission in New York in the past. He has also served in France in the United Nations Educational Scientific & Cultural Organization. He career has included a stint in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, as well as in Israel and in Durban, South Africa.

In New Delhi, Ambassador Shringla has served in the Ministry of External Affairs, as Joint Secretary (Director General) responsible for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Maldives. He has also headed the United Nations Political and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation – SAARC Divisions in the Ministry. Earlier, he served as Director of the Northern Division dealing with Nepal and Bhutan and as Deputy Secretary of the Europe West Division.

A graduate of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, Shringla’s career trajectory is unusual. He  worked in the corporate and public sectors in India prior to joining the Indian Foreign Service. He has also done courses and published papers on conflict prevention, economic diplomacy, the Indian diaspora and India-Bangladesh relations, according to his profile on the Indian Embassy website.

Ambassador Shringla speaks French, Vietnamese and Nepalese apart from English and Indian languages. He is married to Hemal Shringla and has one son.