India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar and the diplomatic community mourned the demise of Indian diplomat Virander Paul, who was India’s envoy to Türkiye. Jaishankar described Paul’s demise as a “great loss” to the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in a post on X. Paul was known for his impactful professional contribution and died in New Delhi last week following prolonged illness.
A 1991-batch IFS officer, Paul was struggling with health issues for over one-and-a-half years and he breathed his last at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi last week. Paul held a medical degree from AIIMS. Paul is survived by his wife Racheline and two daughters.
Before his appointment as India’s ambassador to Türkiye in the second half of 2022, he served as India’s High Commissioner to Kenya and Ambassador to Somalia. Prior to these roles, he was an additional secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, focusing on multilateral engagement in India’s neighbourhood.
Academic Omair Anas of the Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University also in a tweet grieved the passing of the diplomat and highlighted his contribution to India and Türkiye relations.
In his illustrious career, Paul also served as deputy high commissioner of India in London (2013-2016), Minister (Press) at the Indian Embassy in Washington (2010-2013), Director in the Prime Minister’s Office during 2007-2010, and Counsellor (Political) at the Indian Embassy in Moscow from 2003-2007.
He also held diplomatic positions in the Indian missions in Almaty, Vladivostok, Rome and St. Petersburg. During his other previous stints at the Ministry of External Affairs Headquarters, he served in Europe East and Americas Divisions.
