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vinay-kumar--1-Senior diplomat Vinay Kumar ('91) named India's envoy to Myanmar

Hindustan Times (November 15, 2021)

Vinay Kumar, a seasoned diplomat who earlier served as the envoy to Afghanistan, was named India’s new ambassador to Myanmar on Monday.
Kumar, an Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1992 batch, is currently an additional secretary in the external affairs ministry. He is expected to take up his new assignment shortly, according to an official statement.

He will replace Saurabh Kumar as the ambassador to Myanmar. Kumar’s appointment comes at a time when India is grappling with the fallout of the February 1 military coup in Myanmar, including implications for security in the country’s northeastern states.

Kumar, a graduate of IIT-Kharagpur, served as India’s ambassador in Kabul during 2018-20. He also did a stint as joint secretary (South) in the external affairs ministry and in India’s permanent mission to the UN in New York.

India has expressed concern at the escalating situation and continued instability in Myanmar and said it will continue to support efforts aimed at restoring the democratic process in the wake of the military coup.
In recent years, India forged strong relations with both the civilian government and the military in Myanmar, largely because of security concerns related to militant groups from the northeastern states, some of which were active in the neighbouring country.

Following the coup, India has expressed concern at the violence in Myanmar but stopped short of severely criticising the junta because of worries that taking a strong position could push the military closer to China. India has also backed the efforts of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to address the situation in Myanmar.

The situation in Myanmar figured at both the East Asia Summit and India-Asean Summit last month, and New Delhi said it would continue to support efforts aimed at the restoration of peace and democratic process in the neighbouring country.
India also contributed medical supplies worth $200,000 to Asean’s humanitarian initiative for Myanmar. (View original article)