New Delhi [India], August 5 (ANI): India has appointed Sandeep Arya, a 1994-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Bhutan, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated on Tuesday.

Currently serving as India's Ambassador to Vietnam, Arya is expected to assume his new role shortly, the statement from the MEA stated.

'Sandeep Arya (IFS:1994), presently Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Bhutan. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly,' the statement read.

Earlier, Arya assumed charge as the Ambassador of India to Vietnam in October 2022.

He was Additional Secretary (Disarmament & International Security Affairs) and Joint Secretary (Europe West/AD) at the MEA between 2019 and 2022.

As Ambassador, Arya last served as the Indian High Commissioner to Tanzania and Representative to the East African Community between 2015 and 2019.

Between 1994 and 2015, he served in various capacities at the Indian Embassies in the Netherlands, Russia and Ukraine and at various Divisions of the MEA in New Delhi.

Sandeep Arya was born in June 1971 at Kashipur in India and holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Mechanical Engineering, a Master of Technology in Nuclear Engineering, a Master of Arts in Economics and a Master of Business Administration.

He enjoys reading about history, international relations, and global developments; listening to music; and practising yoga, and he speaks Hindi, English and Russian.

India and Vietnam share traditionally close and warm bilateral relations that are denominated as a comprehensive strategic partnership. India initially maintained Consulate-level relations with the then North Vietnam and South Vietnam, and later established full diplomatic relations with Vietnam on 7 January 1972.

India-Vietnam relations were elevated in 2016 to the level of 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership' during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Vietnam; earlier, the relations were designated as 'Strategic Partnership'.

The development of India-Vietnam relations is currently guided by a 'Joint Vision for Peace, Prosperity and People' adopted by Prime Minister Modi and the then Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc. (ANI)