THE MAN OF ALL SEASONS AT FOREIGN OFFICE

THOSE who know Vikram Misri in the Ministry of External Affairs say the new top diplomat is progressive, forward-looking and well-versed with not only the internal exigencies of the current dispensation but also their diverse nuances expressed outside India's borders.

- YESHI SELI

Misri, before assuming charge as the foreign secretary, was the deputy national security advisor and, before that, the ambassador in Beijing.

The combo of experiences could have qualified him to be called the "China expert". More so, as the Galwan clashes in eastern Ladakh took place during Misri's ambassadorship in Beijing. At least 20 Indian soldiers were martyred in a deadly skirmish with the Chinese PLA (People's Liberation Army) troops, who too suffered an unspecified number of casualties at the Himalayan peaks.

"With continued communication at all levels -political, diplomatic and military the two sides would be able to resolve the current difficulties and take the relationship forward in a positive direction," Misri told China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi before returning to India in December 2021.