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53-year-old Pavan Kapoor has an MBA and a Master’s degree and speaks Russian, and some French and Portuguese. Image Credit: Supplied

Abu Dhabi: The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has appointed Pavan Kapoor as India’s next Ambassador to the UAE.

“He is expected to take up the assignment shortly,” the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The 1990 cadre IFS officer will replace Navdeep Singh Suri, who has been heading the Indian mission in the UAE since October 2016.

Kapoor has served in different capacities in the Indian Missions in Moscow, Kyiv, London and Geneva.

The diplomat has also served as the ambassador to Israel over the last three years with a new representative being appointed in his place last month.

He has also served in the Ministry of External Affairs and the Prime Minister's Office in New Delhi.

Kapoor was also appointed as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs of India from 2010 to 2013.

BIO
Pavan Kapoor was born on December 24, 1966. He has an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, India and a Masters in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics (LSE).

Kapoor joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1990. In his diplomatic career of over two and a half decades, he has served in different capacities in the Indian Missions in Moscow, Kyiv, London and Geneva apart from serving in the Ministry of External Affairs and the Prime Minister's Office in New Delhi. He also served as an international civil servant with the Commonwealth Secretariat in London as Political Adviser for Asia and Europe.

From July, 2010 to December, 2013, Kapoor served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs of India, first heading the 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.

Kapoor assumed charge as the Ambassador to Israel on March 9, 2016.

He speaks Russian, and some French and Portuguese.

Kapoor is married to Aradhana Sharma.