His Excellency the President, Major General (ret’d) Jioji Konousi Konrote today received the credential of India's new High Commissioner to Fiji His Excellency Vishvas Sapkal.
High Commissioner Sapkal was accorded a 25-member guard of honour by officers of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces at the State House lawn before he presented his credential to the President.
Mr Sapkal joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1998 and has served at Indian permanent missions in Russia, Armenia and the United States of America.
He was Consul General of India to St. Petersburg, Russia and has also served in Multilateral Economic Relations Division, Northern Division, Finance Division and India Africa Forum Summit Secretariat of the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.
Prior to his appointed to Fiji, he was Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of India in Cairo, Egypt.
Mr Sapkal, who holds an engineering degree in Electronics from Walchand College of Engineering, Shivaji University, Kolhapur in Maharashtra, also served in the Indian Information Service (IIS) of Government of India.
The Indian envoy, who will be based in Suva, speaks fluent Marathi, Hindi, English and Russian.