Pranay Verma appointed India’s ambassador to Belgium and EU after Dhaka stint
New Delhi, April 12. Senior diplomat Pranay Verma, currently serving as India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, has been appointed as New Delhi’s next ambassador to Belgium and the European Union. The Ministry of External Affairs said on April 10 he is expected to take up the assignment in Brussels shortly.
Verma’s move comes weeks after India and the EU concluded an ambitious free trade agreement following summit-level engagement between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and EU leaders, underlining the growing strategic and economic weight of the partnership.
A 1994-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Verma took charge in Dhaka on September 21, 2022, at a time when bilateral ties were navigating a turbulent phase. Relations between the two neighbours deteriorated sharply after the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus assumed power following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024. Verma was closely involved in efforts to stabilise and reset ties after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party government headed by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman took office in February.
The government has not yet named Verma’s successor in Dhaka, a posting regarded as strategically significant. There had been speculation that New Delhi might consider appointing a political figure to the role, but no decision has been announced.
Before his tenure in Bangladesh, Verma served as India’s Ambassador to Vietnam from July 2019. He earlier held key positions at the MEA headquarters in New Delhi, including Joint Secretary of the East Asia Division and Joint Secretary for External Relations at the Department of Atomic Energy in Mumbai.
Over his career, Verma has also served as staff officer to the foreign secretary and as director handling climate change negotiations. His overseas assignments have included postings in Hong Kong, San Francisco, Beijing, Kathmandu, Washington DC and Hanoi.
