US appoints Atul Keshap as interim envoy to India

THE US has appointed Indian American diplomat Atul Keshap as Chargé d’Affaires, interim envoy, to India.

Keshap, 50, a career member of the senior foreign service, will be departing for New Delhi following the retirement of Ambassador Daniel Smith, the US State Department said in a statement on Tuesday (29). 

“Keshap’s appointment will reinforce the close US partnership with the government and people of India, demonstrated by our collaboration to overcome global challenges like the Covid-19 pandemic,” the statement added.

"He will bring a wealth of experience to the role, having served previously at US Embassy New Delhi and as deputy assistant secretary of state for South Asia.”

He most recently served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs and as the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Across his 27-year career as an American diplomat, Keshap has served at postings in India, Morocco, and Guinea, according to his official biography.

He has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, as US Senior Official for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, and as an Office Director in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs and in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs.

He has negotiated or advanced bilateral and multilateral initiatives at senior levels with counterparts from the European Union, United Nations, ASEAN, APEC, and governments across the Indo-Pacific, Middle East, Africa, and North and South America.

In 2018, Keshap received one of the state department’s highest honours, the Distinguished Honor Award, in recognition of his leadership in advancing US interests in the Indian Ocean region.

He is also the recipient of a 2019 Presidential Meritorious Rank Award, as well as numerous individual State Department Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards, and six senior executive performance pay awards, his biography says.