Newly appointed Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri is arriving in Kathmandu on Friday to take up his diplomatic assignment. India’s Ministry of External Affairs has already announced his appointment. Puri was earlier India’s ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union.

 Puri, a career diplomat form Indian Foreign Service’s 1982 batch is going to take up his diplomatic assignment at a time when Nepal is at the juncture of holding three-tier elections, implementing the constitution and thaw in Nepal-India ties after five-month long blockade in Nepal-India border.

 Puri is succeeding Ranjit Rae who once taught him at St Stephen’s College in New Delhi when he was doing his Bachelor’s in Economics. Rae has retired from Indian Foreign Service after completing his tenure in Kathmandu.

 In his long career as a diplomat, Puri has never served in any of the neighbouring countries. He earlier served as an ambassador and deputy permanent representative of India to the United Nations in New York from 2009 to 2013.