India has named veteran diplomat Dinesh K Patnaik as the country’s next envoy to Canada, a decision which has been seen as a step forward in building ties that will witness a low point in 2023. The appointment has been made alongside Ottawa’s announcement to name seasoned diplomat Christopher Cooter as Canada’s High Commissioner to New Delhi.
All about Dinesh K Patnaik
According to the India Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), where he is currently working as Director General. Patnaik is from the 1990 batch of the India Foreign Service with over 25 years of experience across several postings. He has experience serving in the Indian missions in Beijing, Vienna, Dhaka, and Geneva. He has also served in major roles at the Ministry of External Affairs in the UN, Africa, Europe, and External Publicity divisions.
Patnaik has worked on the designation of Deputy Chief of Mission in Vienna (2009-2012). After that, he became advisor to Cambodia ( 2012-2015) and later joined Morocco (2015-2016). He was in the position of Deputy High Commissioner in London from 2016 and 2018.
Under the MEA, he also has expertise in serving as Additional Secretary for the Indian Ocean Region, and he later also worked for Passport, Consular, Visa & Overseas Indian Affairs. Most recently, he was handling the post of India’s ambassador to Spain before his announcement for the Canada appointment.
Patnaik’s educational qualifications
He has an MBA from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (Kolkata) and also holds a Master’s in Advanced International Studies from the University of Vienna. Patnaik also studied at the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna. His wife is Poonam, who is an international educator, and together they have two daughters.
India-Canada bilateral relationships
The announcement marks an attempt to re-strengthen strained ties after Canada accused India of a role in the 2023 killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India brought back its envoy and also dismissed diplomats in response. The comeback of ambassadors has been after the talks that were conducted between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Mark Carney on the sidelines of the G7 summit, which took place earlier this year.