Swati Vijay Kulkarni Appointed as India's Ambassador to Algeria

Swati Vijay Kulkarni has been named India's new Ambassador to Algeria, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced. Kulkarni, a 1995 batch Indian Foreign Service Officer currently serving as Additional Secretary, will assume her new role shortly. India and Algeria share a long history of cordial diplomatic relations.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Friday that Swati Vijay Kulkarni has been appointed as India's next Ambassador to Algeria. Kulkarni, an Indian Foreign Service Officer from the 1995 batch, is currently serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry.

"Dr. Swati Vijay Kulkarni (IFS: 1995), presently Additional Secretary in the Ministry, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria," the MEA said in a statement. "She is expected to take up the assignment shortly," the statement added.

India and Algeria have maintained cordial diplomatic ties since establishing relations in July 1962. The nations have supported each other on both bilateral and multilateral levels, according to the Embassy of India in Algeria. High-level visits have been exchanged, and the two countries operate a Joint Commission Mechanism (JCM) established in 1981 to address bilateral cooperation comprehensively.

The 9th JCM was held in Algiers in May 2015, headed by then-Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman and then-Algeria's Minister of Transport, Boudjema Talai. Additionally, the fifth Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) between India and Algeria took place in Algiers in November 2018.

(With inputs from agencies.)