WASHINGTON (TIP):   The Biden Administration has appointed Indian American diplomat Atul Keshap as Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim, in New Delhi to “reinforce the close US partnership with the Government and people of India.” A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Keshap will be departing for India following the retirement of US Ambassador Daniel Smith, the State Department said announcing his appointment Tuesday, June 29.

“Keshap’s appointment will reinforce the close US partnership with the Government and people of India, demonstrated by our collaboration to overcome global challenges like the Covid-19 pandemic,” the spokesperson’s office said in a media release.

He “will bring a wealth of experience to the role, having served previously at US Embassy New Delhi and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia,” it added.

Keshap most recently served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs and as the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Across his 27-year career as an American diplomat, Keshap has served at postings in India, Morocco, and Guinea, according to his official biography.

He has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, as US Senior Official for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, and as an Office Director in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs and in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs.

Keshap has negotiated or advanced bilateral and multilateral initiatives at senior levels with counterparts from the European Union, United Nations, ASEAN, APEC, and governments across the Indo-Pacific, Middle East, Africa, and North and South America.

Previously Keshap served at the Department of Defense as the National Defense University’s Vice Chancellor for the College of International Security Affairs.

Earlier in his career, he served as Director for North Africa and Middle East regional affairs on the National Security Council staff in the Executive Office of the President of the United States.

In 2018, Keshap received one of the State Department’s highest honors, the Distinguished Honor Award, in recognition of his leadership in advancing US interests in the Indian Ocean region.

He is also the recipient of a 2019 Presidential Meritorious Rank Award, as well as numerous individual State Department Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards, and six senior executive performance pay awards.