INDIA APPOINTS SRIVASTAVA AS ENVOY TO NEPAL
NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday announced the appointment of Naveen Srivastava, currently additional secretary in the external affairs ministry, as the next ambassador to Nepal.
Srivastava, who headed the East Asia division in the ministry, has played a key role in diplomatic and military talks with China to tackle the military standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since 2020.
He is expected to take up his new assignment shortly, the ministry said in a statement.
India formally proposed Srivastava as the new ambassador to Nepal ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country on May 16.
Besides a meeting between PM Modi and his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba, the two countries signed six agreements during the visit, including one for the 490-MW Arun-4 hydropower project.
Srivastava will succeed Vinay Kwatra, who became foreign secretary this month, as the envoy to Kathmandu.
The East Asia division deals with China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea and Mongolia, and Srivastava is seen as an experienced China hand.