Pavan Kapoor appointed as Ambassador to UAE: IFS officer earlier made his mark with measures to boost ties with Israel

India on Wednesday appointed  Pavan Kapoor  as its next Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The 1990-cadre Indian Foreign Services (IFS) officer will replace Navdeep Singh Puri, who has been heading the Indian mission in UAE since October 2016.

Kapoor, who was born on 24 December, 1966, has an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, India. He also holds a Masters in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics, according to the official website of the Embassy of India in Israel.

Career as a diplomat

Kapoor, who joined the IFS in 1990, served in different capacities in the Indian Missions in Moscow, Kyiv, London and Geneva. He also had a brief stint with the Commonwealth Secretariat in London as Political Adviser for Asia and Europe.

The diplomat served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs from 2010 to 2013, first heading the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Division and then the United Nations Political Division.

He was India’s High Commissioner to Mozambique and the Kingdom of Swaziland from January 2014 to February 2016.

Ambassador to Israel

He was then appointed as the Ambassador to Israel at a crucial time for diplomatic relations between the two countries. He held the post from 9 March, 2016 to the present. During his tenure in Israel, he had taken a host of measures to boost ties between the two nations. The prime ministers of both the countries had visited each other, indicating an “upward trajectory” in diplomatic relations.

The first direct flight between Tel Aviv and Delhi by Air India, running through Saudi Arabia’s airspace was launched on 23 March, 2018 according to a report carried by PTI.  Kapoor had termed it a “historic moment” and had said that the initiative would strengthen the relationship between the two countries in various spheres, including political, trade and cultural.

He inaugurated a host of conventions and conferences to boost trade ties between the two countries such as the India-Israel Innovation Conference in March 2019, NATCON 2019-  a business convention hosted by The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India (CREDAI).

Amb. Pavan Kapoor @AmbKapoor along with Israeli Minister for Construction & Housing Dr. Yifat Shasha Biton inaugurated the largest Indian business gathering ever in Israel - NATCON 2019, @CREDAINational's annual convention. #ThinkBigThinkIndia @MoHUA_India @IndianDiplomacy pic.twitter.com/JZimqE0Ycq

— India in Israel (@indemtel) August 6, 2019

With inputs from agencies