South Asian Foreign Relations
Mr. Rajendra M. Abhyankar, Indian Foreign Service (1968)
Ambassador Abhyankar joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1968. In more than 36 years of multi-faceted diplomatic experience of people, places and issues he has dealt with a wide variety of bilateral and multilateral political and economic work and has held important positions in a number of Indian diplomatic missions in US, Europe, Middle East and South Asia. He has been involved in formulating policy and programmes in the areas of politics and security, trade and investment, and culture and education. He has acquired specialization on the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East and Central Asia having served, for over a decade, in posts in Baghdad, Damascus, Ankara, Baku and Nicosia. He also has an experience of over five years in handling India’s relations with Sri Lanka having also served in Colombo. His two tenures in Brussels, and one in Rome have given him a unique insight into the workings of European institutions and policy. His deep knowledge of the cultures of these regions and his facility with its languages is an asset which has enabled him to build a wide range of personal friendships in these countries.
Ambassador Abhyankar has had an important focus in his career in developing Indian economic and commercial relations, with countries and regions for which he was responsible. His early post in Ministry of Commerce, where he handled GATT and UNCTAD issues, his postings in countries with a wide variety of trading systems and his two tenures in Brussels (EU Headquarters) were marked by close contacts with technocrats and business leaders and innovative ways of promoting trade and investment. He also co-authored the revision of the Manual of Instructions for India’s Commercial Representatives in 1992.
He was Secretary , Ministry of External affairs, Government of India (2001-2004) and Ambassador of India to EU, Belgium and Luxemburg (2004-2005), Azerbajan, Turkey (1996-1998), Syria (1992-1996), Cyprus (1982-90), high Commission for Sri lanka (1982-1984) and Counsel General of India in Sanfrancsio – USA (1998-2001)
2004-2001 Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs
As Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, Ambassador Abhyankar’s responsibilities included supervising the entire range of India’s relations with the countries in the Middle-East [West Asia and the Gulf] and with the Islamic world; the countries of South-East Asia including ASEAN, member-states of the Pacific Island Forum, Australia, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, DPR of Korea, Mongolia; and countries of Central Asia and Turkey. It also involved designing and implementing technical assistance schemes/projects to promote trade and economic relations with these regions/countries. He has a wide range of contacts at the highest levels in politics, government and business in these countries.
During three years as Secretary, he was closely involved with India’s policy on Iraq, a country with which he has a long association having been in post in Baghdad during the Iraq-Iran war. He was also responsible for fashioning India’s policy on Palestine-Israel issue; and on developing India’s relations with Israel. He also formulated and supervised India’s policy in the field of counter-terrorism and led a number of bilateral groups with countries in the region. He was involved with taking forward India’s ‘Look East’ policy which gave a new thrust to relations with ASEAN and the PIF and with Korea and Australia. Equally he was involved in developing India’s policy on energy security and implementing its diplomatic dimension in Sudan, the Gulf and the Caspian basin.
EDUCATION
1968-1966 Worked on Ph.D in Economics at the Centre for Industrial Economics, Department of Economics at the University of Bombay. At the same time, he also worked on a path-breaking report on India’s Industrial Licensing Policy for the Ministry of Industrial Development, Government of India [1966].
1966 MA [Economics], University of Delhi.
1964 BA [Honours] [Economics] from St. Stephens College, University of Delhi.
LANGUAGES Active: French, Italian, English & Greek
Spoken: Arabic and Turkish
And 4 Indian languages.
INTERESTS Ambassador Abhyankar has been a frequent speaker on India, Middle-East and other international issues at universities, think-tanks and public affairs for a in India and abroad. He has spoken et al at Thunderbird School of Management, Phoenix; Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington, Seattle; Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford; Morrison Institute of Population and Resource Studies, Stanford; Center for Non-Proliferation Studies, Monterey; UC, Los Angeles; UC, Berkeley; East-West Center, Hawaii; TIE, San Jose; World Affairs Council, San Francisco; WAC, Los Angeles; Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi; India International Centre, New Delhi; University of Pune; Emirates Research Centre, Abu Dhabi, European Institute for Asian Studies, Brussels.
Mr. Rajendra M. Abhyankar, Indian Foreign Service (1968)
Ambassador Abhyankar joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1968. In more than 36 years of multi-faceted diplomatic experience of people, places and issues he has dealt with a wide variety of bilateral and multilateral political and economic work and has held important positions in a number of Indian diplomatic missions in US, Europe, Middle East and South Asia. He has been involved in formulating policy and programmes in the areas of politics and security, trade and investment, and culture and education. He has acquired specialization on the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East and Central Asia having served, for over a decade, in posts in Baghdad, Damascus, Ankara, Baku and Nicosia. He also has an experience of over five years in handling India’s relations with Sri Lanka having also served in Colombo. His two tenures in Brussels, and one in Rome have given him a unique insight into the workings of European institutions and policy. His deep knowledge of the cultures of these regions and his facility with its languages is an asset which has enabled him to build a wide range of personal friendships in these countries.
Ambassador Abhyankar has had an important focus in his career in developing Indian economic and commercial relations, with countries and regions for which he was responsible. His early post in Ministry of Commerce, where he handled GATT and UNCTAD issues, his postings in countries with a wide variety of trading systems and his two tenures in Brussels (EU Headquarters) were marked by close contacts with technocrats and business leaders and innovative ways of promoting trade and investment. He also co-authored the revision of the Manual of Instructions for India’s Commercial Representatives in 1992.
He was Secretary , Ministry of External affairs, Government of India (2001-2004) and Ambassador of India to EU, Belgium and Luxemburg (2004-2005), Azerbajan, Turkey (1996-1998), Syria (1992-1996), Cyprus (1982-90), high Commission for Sri lanka (1982-1984) and Counsel General of India in Sanfrancsio – USA (1998-2001)
2004-2001 Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs
As Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, Ambassador Abhyankar’s responsibilities included supervising the entire range of India’s relations with the countries in the Middle-East [West Asia and the Gulf] and with the Islamic world; the countries of South-East Asia including ASEAN, member-states of the Pacific Island Forum, Australia, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, DPR of Korea, Mongolia; and countries of Central Asia and Turkey. It also involved designing and implementing technical assistance schemes/projects to promote trade and economic relations with these regions/countries. He has a wide range of contacts at the highest levels in politics, government and business in these countries.
During three years as Secretary, he was closely involved with India’s policy on Iraq, a country with which he has a long association having been in post in Baghdad during the Iraq-Iran war. He was also responsible for fashioning India’s policy on Palestine-Israel issue; and on developing India’s relations with Israel. He also formulated and supervised India’s policy in the field of counter-terrorism and led a number of bilateral groups with countries in the region. He was involved with taking forward India’s ‘Look East’ policy which gave a new thrust to relations with ASEAN and the PIF and with Korea and Australia. Equally he was involved in developing India’s policy on energy security and implementing its diplomatic dimension in Sudan, the Gulf and the Caspian basin.
EDUCATION
1968-1966 Worked on Ph.D in Economics at the Centre for Industrial Economics, Department of Economics at the University of Bombay. At the same time, he also worked on a path-breaking report on India’s Industrial Licensing Policy for the Ministry of Industrial Development, Government of India [1966].
1966 MA [Economics], University of Delhi.
1964 BA [Honours] [Economics] from St. Stephens College, University of Delhi.
LANGUAGES Active: French, Italian, English & Greek
Spoken: Arabic and Turkish
And 4 Indian languages.
INTERESTS Ambassador Abhyankar has been a frequent speaker on India, Middle-East and other international issues at universities, think-tanks and public affairs for a in India and abroad. He has spoken et al at Thunderbird School of Management, Phoenix; Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington, Seattle; Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford; Morrison Institute of Population and Resource Studies, Stanford; Center for Non-Proliferation Studies, Monterey; UC, Los Angeles; UC, Berkeley; East-West Center, Hawaii; TIE, San Jose; World Affairs Council, San Francisco; WAC, Los Angeles; Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi; India International Centre, New Delhi; University of Pune; Emirates Research Centre, Abu Dhabi, European Institute for Asian Studies, Brussels.