New Delhi: Santosh Jha has been appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday.

According to MEA, High Commissioner Santosh Jha is an IFS officer of batch 1993 and is presently serving as ambassador of India to Belgium.

MEA said in a release, “Santosh Jha (IFS: 1993), presently Ambassador of India to Belgium, has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly.”

Ambassador Santosh Jha assumed the position of Ambassador of India to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union on 17 July 2020.

Ambassador Jha also served at the Indian Embassy in Brussels earlier from 2010 to 2013, when he was the Deputy Chief of Mission. During this time, he also had the distinction of serving as Charge d' Affaires from January to September 2012.

Between 2013 and 2017, Ambassador Jha headed several Divisions in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). From July 2013 to September 2014, he headed the MEA Division for Human Resources and Management Affairs. From October 2014 to April 2015, he headed the MEA Division for relations with Western Europe and the European Union, according to MEA.