Telangana’s Dr K Srikar Reddy appointed India’s Ambassador to Qatar
HYDERABAD: The Government of India has appointed Dr K Srikar Reddy as the next Ambassador to the State of Qatar, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Friday, July 24.
Dr Reddy, a 2001-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, will succeed Ambassador Vipul, whose tenure in Doha has ended. The MEA said Dr Reddy, currently serving as the Consul General of India in San Francisco, is expected to take up the assignment shortly.
Experienced diplomat with Telangana roots
A native of Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district in Telangana, Dr Reddy graduated from Kakatiya Medical College in Warangal before joining the Indian Foreign Service.
During his diplomatic career, he has served in Indian missions in Germany, Switzerland and Vietnam. He also served at India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
Between 2011 and 2014, Dr Reddy was the Regional Passport Officer in Hyderabad, where he oversaw reforms to passport services in the then undivided Andhra Pradesh.
Played key role in trade agreements
Before assuming charge as Consul General in San Francisco, Dr Reddy served as Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce.
He played a key role in negotiating the India-United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and the India-Mauritius CEPA. He also led negotiations on the proposed free trade agreements with the United Kingdom and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
With the appointment, Dr Reddy becomes the second diplomat from Telangana to serve as India’s Ambassador to Qatar after the late Prof Dorai Bashiruddin, who headed the Indian mission in Doha from 1983 to 1986.
Qatar hosts one of the largest Indian expatriate communities in the Gulf, including a significant population from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and other Indian states. India and Qatar have expanded cooperation in recent years across trade, investment, energy, defence and people-to-people exchanges.
