Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi appointed as India's permanent representative to UN in Geneva

Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson for External Affairs Ministry, was on Monday appointed India's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) and other international organisations in Geneva.

Bagchi would be succeeding Indra Mani Pandey in Geneva. Pandey is set to return to New Delhi.

"Arindam Bagchi (IFS:1995), presently Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, has been appointed as the next Ambassador/Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an official statement.

"He is expected to take up the assignment shortly," it added.

Bagchi, a 1995-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) official, took over as spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in March 2020. He deftly handled a number of critical issues and developments including the eastern Ladakh border row, India's Covid-19 response and New Delhi's G20 presidency.

Around four senior diplomats, including joint secretary (G20) Nagaraj Naidu Kakanur and high commissioner to Mauritius K Nandini Singla are being considered for the post of MEA spokesperson, as per a PTI report.

Bagchi earlier served as ambassador to Croatia and deputy high commissioner to Sri Lanka.

He also had a stint in the Prime Minister's Office as a director as well as at India's permanent mission at the UN in New York.

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