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Senior diplomat Inbasekar Sundaramurthi, currently serving as the Consul General of India in Barcelona, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Senegal, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Monday.
Sundaramurthi, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 2004 batch, is expected to take up the assignment shortly, according to the MEA press release. As per his official profile as the Consul General of India in Barcelona, Sundaramurthi joined the Indian Foreign Service on September 13, 2004. During his diplomatic career, he has served in Indian missions in France, Cte d'Ivoire, Pakistan, Belgium and the Russian Federation. He has also worked in various divisions of the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, including the Americas Division, Conference Cell, Southern Division and Indo-Pacific Division. Before assuming charge as the Consul General of India at the Consulate General of India in Barcelona, Sundaramurthi served as India's High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. He holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Industrial Biotechnology and is fluent in French, English, Hindi and Tamil. His appointment comes as India and Senegal continue to maintain warm and friendly bilateral relations, with cooperation spanning several sectors, including agriculture, fisheries, urban transport, rural electrification, healthcare, information technology and human resource development, according to the MEA's India-Senegal bilateral brief. Diplomatic relations between India and Senegal were established in 1961, with the opening of a resident Indian mission in Dakar. Senegal subsequently opened its resident Embassy in New Delhi in 1974. The two countries also cooperate under the TEAM-9 initiative, or the Techno-Economic Approach for Africa-India Movement, which brings together India and eight West African countries. Both nations also work closely in multilateral forums and share membership in the Non-Aligned Movement and G-15. Earlier, on April 4, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar extended greetings to Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Niang, the government and people of Senegal on the country's Independence Day. https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/2040293627361104168 In a post on X, Jaishankar said, "Greetings to FM Cheikh Niang, the Government & people of Senegal on their Independence Day today. Valuing our warm & friendly ties." India and Senegal have maintained regular high-level exchanges over the years. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu visited Senegal in June 2022, marking the first State visit from India to the country in 60 years. During the visit, three memorandums of understanding covering cooperation in youth affairs, a cultural exchange programme and visa waiver arrangements for diplomats and officials were signed. The visit also saw the announcement of the second-phase upgradation of the Entrepreneurship Development and Technology Centre in Dakar, established with Indian grant assistance, along with a special ITEC English proficiency course for Senegalese public servants. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Senegalese President Macky Sall have also held meetings on the sidelines of several international summits, including the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg in August 2023. (ANI)
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