New Delhi, August 6: Devesh Uttam has been appointed as the new ambassador of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced this in a statement on Thursday.
According to the MEA, Uttam, an Indian Foreign Service officer from the 2003 batch, will soon take on his new responsibilities. He is currently serving as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Lithuania. Uttam will succeed Anil Kumar Rai, the current ambassador to Ethiopia, who belongs to the 2001 batch.
India and Ethiopia redefined their relationship in December 2025. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official visit, the ties were elevated to the level of a ‘strategic partnership.’ Ethiopia honored PM Modi with its highest civilian award, the ‘Great Honor Nishan of Ethiopia,’ and both nations signed several significant agreements.
Devesh Uttam hails from Uttar Pradesh, India, as per information available on the official website of the Lithuanian embassy. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 2003.
He has previously served as the head of the Consular, Passport, and Visa (CPV) Division at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi and was also in charge of the Central Authority for extradition cases.
His diplomatic responsibilities abroad include serving as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian embassy in Tehran and as a Counselor at the Indian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. While in New York, he was elected as a member of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) from 2013 to 2016.
During his tenure in New York, he also represented India on the Advisory Board of the United Nations Democracy Fund. Additionally, he has served in Indian missions in Libya and Syria, leading the Political and Commercial Department at the Indian embassy in Tripoli and the Cultural and Information Department at the Indian embassy in Damascus.
At the Ministry of External Affairs, he has held various positions, including Joint Secretary of the CPV Division, Director (Administration), and Deputy Secretary/Under Secretary (Gulf).
Before joining the Indian Foreign Service, he worked as the Deputy Director General of Foreign Trade in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
Uttam holds a postgraduate degree and an M.Phil. from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. His M.Phil. research focused on the “Eastern Expansion of the European Union,” analyzing the cost-benefit for new member countries joining the EU. He has also studied international trade at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi. He is fluent in Hindi, English, and Arabic and has also studied French and Sanskrit.
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