Rajya Sabha member Harsh Vardhan Shringla was nominated to the Upper House of Parliament by the President of India, after a diplomatic career spanning over three decades. A 1984-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, he served as the country’s foreign secretary from 2020 to 2022 and as chief co ordinator for India’s G20 Presidency, following earlier roles as Ambassador to the United States, High Commissioner to Bangladesh, and Ambassador to Thailand. Educated at Mayo College, Ajmer, and St Stephen’s College, Delhi, Shringla combines strategic insight with a deep connection to his roots in Darjeeling, where he has supported livelihood programmes, UPSC coaching for local youth, and assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. He continues to contribute actively to policy discussions on India’s external relations. In an exclusive interview with NIKHIL VYAS of THE STATESMAN, the MP talks about Indian diplomacy, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the G20 Summit hosted by India in 2023, global trade, and North Bengal. Edited excerpts:

Q: You have handled big-power relations as well as sensitive neighbourhood issues. What, in your view, is the biggest diplomatic challenge India faces today?

Advertisement

A: If I have to put it in one line, the biggest diplomatic challenge for India today is to safeguard our interests in a world that is becoming more competitive and fractured, while keeping our neighbourhood peaceful and stable. We are living through sharp competition among major powers, and that competition is now playing out everywhere – in technology, supply chains, finance, even in narrative battles. India cannot afford to be pulled into someone else’s camp, nor can we be indifferent to issues that affect our security and growth. So the challenge is to maintain strategic autonomy while building strong partnerships where they serve India’s interests. At the same time, our immediate neighbourhood is not insulated from these global currents. Economic stress, political transitions, and external influence in South Asia can quickly create security or humanitarian spill overs for us. Keeping the neighbourhood oriented towards cooperation, connectivity, and mutual benefit – without letting rivalries or competition destabilize/ weaken it is a constant test of diplomacy.

Advertisement

Q: During the Russia–Ukraine conflict , you oversaw t h e repatriation of thousands of Indian students. What made that mission particularly complex, and how........

© The Statesman