Dr. Deepak Mittal Appointed as India’s New Ambassador to the UAE, Succeeding Sunjay Sudhir.
Appointment
On September 2, 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced the appointment of Dr. Deepak Mittal, a 1998-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, as India's next Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This milestone reflects the deepening strategic and economic ties between India and the UAE.
- Dr. Mittal, currently serving as Additional Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), brings with him a wealth of diplomatic experience. He previously held the post of Ambassador to Qatar from August 2020 to March 2023 and played a pivotal role in establishing India’s first formal diplomatic engagement with the Taliban in 2021.
- Prior to his Qatar assignment, Dr. Mittal headed the Pakistan–Afghanistan–Iran (PAI) desk in the MEA, contributing significantly to key diplomatic initiatives such as opening the Kartarpur Corridor and defending Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav at the International Court of Justice, The Hague.
Main Point :- (i) Dr. Mittal succeeds Sunjay Sudhir, who has served as India’s Ambassador to the UAE since November 2021. His appointment comes at a pivotal moment as both nations are aiming to elevate trade under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), targeting $100 billion in non-oil trade by 2030.
(ii) India-UAE relations have strengthened significantly since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s landmark visit in 2015, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in over three decades. High-level visits from both sides, robust energy cooperation, and the presence of over 4 million Indian expatriates in the UAE underline the depth of this partnership.
(iii) Dr. Mittal is expected to assume his duties in Abu Dhabi shortly. His appointment is seen as a strategic move to further enhance bilateral collaboration in areas including energy, technology, investment, and regional security.
About UAE
President: Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Prime minister: Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
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