By IANS
New Delhi : India’s Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna Sheel Kant Sharma has been appointed the new Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Sharma’s appointment for two years was approved by the SAARC Council of Ministers Friday, succeeding the incumbent Chenkyab Dorji of Bhutan.
Announcing the decision, Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the Council “deeply appreciated the contribution” of Dorji to the development of SAARC.
Sharma, a senior diplomat, has been spearheading India’s position at the IAEA, where the country had to take difficult decisions on Iran nuclear issue and also initiate negotiations on a safeguards agreements as part of the India-US civilian nuclear deal.
The last Indian to hold the SAARC Secretary General’s post was Kant Kishore Bhargava from October 1989 to December 1991.