New Foreign Secretary Shashank waves as he arrives to take charge at South Block in New Delhi on Tuesday. — PTI
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New Delhi, December 2
Mr Shashank, a 1966 batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service, today formally assumed charge as Foreign Secretary.
The new Foreign Secretary has taken over at a time when India’s relations with two of its difficult neighbours -Pakistan and China - are at a take-off stage and the Indian diplomacy is spreading its wings and making an impression all over the globe. Senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs escorted Mr Shashank to his office in South Block this morning.
Mr Shashank emphasised that Indian diplomacy had a very important role to play in world affairs and said: “We have been planning to obtain the best synergies to meet challenges of the present phase of globalisation”.
Mr Shashank, who succeeds Mr Kanwal Sibal, was named as Foreign Secretary on November 18 by the Cabinet Committee on Appointments. Hitherto, he was Secretary (Europe, Africas and the Americas) in the External Affairs Ministry, a job he has held since July 2002.
Mr Shashank has been India’s Ambassador to Denmark, Libya and South Korea. He has also been Minister (Political) in the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. He has also served in New York, Brussels and Cairo.
