New Delhi: PK Ashok Babu has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Venezuela, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The diplomat is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of batch 2007.

The diplomat presently holds the position of Consul General at the Consulate General of India, Cape Town.

"Shri PK Ashok Babu (IFS: 2007), presently Consul General, Consulate General of India, Cape Town has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela," the MEA said in an official release today.

He is expected to take up the assignment shortly.