G. Balasubramanian appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to Maldives, will take up his new assignment shortly

The next Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives will be G Balasubramanian, a 1998 Indian Foreign Service officer. Balasubramanian, who is now the Indian High Commissioner to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is anticipated to start his new role soon.

“G. Balasubramanian (IFS:1998), currently High Commissioner of India to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Maldives,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Monday.

According to the announcement, “He is expected to take up the assignment shortly,”

Munu Mahawar is the Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives at the moment. On November 10, 2021, he took over as India’s High Commissioner to the Maldives.

Notably, in 1998, G. Balasubramanian, a post-graduate student in public administration, entered the Indian Foreign Service.

He has worked with the Indian Missions in Bangkok, Dushanbe, Washington, DC, and Moscow in a variety of roles, including deputy chief of mission in Bangkok and Moscow. According to the Indian High Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, he was also India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to UNESCAP in Bangkok.

He held the positions of Joint Secretary (Europe West), Desk Officer on Pakistan, and Joint Secretary (Administration) in the Ministry of External Affairs.

India and the Maldives have long-standing economic, religious, cultural, linguistic, and ethnic ties. The relationships have been intimate, friendly, and complex. According to the MEA, India was one of the first nations to recognize the Maldives upon its independence in 1965 and to initiate diplomatic ties with the nation.

With ties spanning to almost every region, India has a dominant role in the Maldives. India is regarded as a source of net security, and its crucial position in the Maldives is widely acknowledged. Under India’s “Neighbourhood First” foreign policy, which seeks to promote peace and development in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the Maldives has a unique position.

Additionally, both countries play important roles in preserving the IOR’s safety and security, supporting India’s Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) initiative.