Today, Vijay Keshav Gokhale took charge as the next Foreign Secretary of India succeeding S. Jaishankar. It is said unlike Jaishankar, Gokhale has always stayed away from the glare of media. Gokhle is said to have played a key role in resolving the 73 day Doklam standoff between India and China in Bhutan last year.
Yesterday, Jaishankar completed three years as India’s Foreign Secretary. He earned the distinction of being one of the longest serving Foreign Secretaries in India.
Gokhale was a former envoy to China for a short period of time compared to Jaishankar. Besides being an envoy to China, Gokhale was also India’s Ambassador to Germany and Malaysia. It is said Jaishankar is an able Russian speaker while Gokhale is well versed in Mandarin. Gokhale is a 1981 batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service.
Gokhale will have a two year tenure as the Foreign Secretary. It is said he is described as understated but efficient by his colleagues and seniors in the Indian Foreign Ministry.
