Abhay Thakur appointed as India’s next ambassador to Myanmar

Thakur, India's G20 sous sherpa (deputy to the sherpa), had previously served as high commissioner to Mauritius and Nigeria

Digital Desk: Senior diplomat Abhay Thakur, currently an Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of External Affairs, has been appointed as the country's next envoy to Myanmar, the MEA announced on Tuesday.

During India's leadership of the prestigious G20, the 1992-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) served as sous-sherpa.

“Abhay Thakur (IFS: 1992), presently Officer on Special Duty in the ministry, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar,” NDTV quoted the MEA statement.

He will succeed Vinay Kumar, who was named the next ambassador to Russia last week.

Thakur, India's G20 sous sherpa (deputy to the sherpa), had previously served as high commissioner to Mauritius and Nigeria. He has also served in Indian missions in major foreign capitals such as Moscow, London, and Tel Aviv. He was an engineer who later earned a diploma from the Indian Institute of Management in Mumbai.

He will face the difficult task of dealing with Myanmar's military regime at a time when the junta has suffered a string of humiliating defeats since the Three Brotherhood Alliance launched an offensive last October, which includes the Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).

Military-ruled Myanmar also intends to hold an election if there is peace and stability in the country, but it may be unable to do so countrywide, according to the country's top general, as the junta fights a revolt on several fronts. In this situation, Thakur’s posting is significant.

The military, which has been in power since a coup three years ago, is still intended to return the country to democratic governance, Reuter quoted from a source.

The military has been conducting some of its oldest conflicts with ethnic minority forces in northern and eastern Myanmar, and opponents have accused it of systematic massacres, which it denies.