H.h.s Viswanathan

Biography

He was a member of the Indian Foreign Service for 34 years. He has a long and diverse experience in International relations and Diplomacy. His foreign assignments include Belgium, Zaire, Czechoslovakia, Germany, China, Italy, Cote d' Ivoire, USA and Nigeria. He was the Head of Mission (Ambassador/ High Commissioner) in Cote d'Ivoire and Nigeria with concurrent accreditation to Niger, Guinea (Conakry), Sierra Leone, Cameroon , Benin, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome and Principe. At the Headquarters in MEA, he has been Deputy Secretary (East Europe) and Joint Secretary (Administration).In USA, he was Consul General of India in San Francisco with a consular jurisdiction over 14 States in the mid- West and West coast of the US. He has also experience in multilateral diplomacy. He represented India in the African Development Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). He was also Observer at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).He has participated in numerous Seminars/Conferences/ Workshops and presented papers on issues connected with Africa, China, BRICS, IBSA and Global Governance.He has also co-edited the book "In search of Stability, Security and Growth: BRICS and a new World Order" published by ORF.Apart from Indian languages like Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi he speaks French and Italian. His hobbies include Golf, music and reading.

Research Interest

International relations and Diplomacy