New Delhi, April 10 Seasoned diplomat Pranay Verma, who is currently serving as India's High Commissioner to Bangladesh, was appointed as New Delhi's next ambassador to Belgium and the European Union (EU) on Friday.
His appointment to Brussels came weeks after India and the EU finalized an ambitious free trade agreement following summit talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leadership of the influential bloc.
Verma, a 1994-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, had taken over as the High Commissioner to Dhaka on September 21, 2022.
"He is expected to take up the assignment shortly," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a brief statement.
The government has yet to announce Verma's replacement in Dhaka, a position considered crucial for New Delhi.
While there was speculation that New Delhi might appoint a political figure to Dhaka to help rebuild ties, no final decision has been made on who will fill the role.
Relations between India and Bangladesh witnessed a major downturn after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power following the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024.
Verma played a role in initiating efforts to reset the ties after the new Bangladesh Nationalist Party government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman came to power in February.
Before arriving in Dhaka, Verma served as the ambassador of India to Vietnam since July 2019.
Earlier, he held the position of joint secretary of the East Asia Division at the MEA's headquarters in New Delhi from June 2017 to July 2019; and of joint secretary for external relations at the Department of Atomic Energy in Mumbai from October 2014 to June 2017.
Verma also served as the staff officer to the foreign secretary and director in-charge of climate change negotiations during 2009-2010.
He also held diplomatic assignments in Hong Kong, San Francisco, Beijing, Kathmandu, Washington DC, and Hanoi.
