The US Senate has confirmed Indian-American diplomat Atul Keshap as the next US Ambassador to Sri lanka and Maldives. The 44-year-old Keshap is the second Indian-origin diplomat to be appointed by President Barack Obama in South Asia, after Richard Rahul Verma, who took over as the US envoy in New Delhi in January.
like Verma, Keshap also traces his origin to Punjab. It would be the first Ambassadorial posting for Keshap as well. Since October 2013, he has been serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the South and Central Asian Affairs Bureau of State Department.
Keshap, who joined the US Foreign Service in 1994, has served as Deputy Political Counsellor at the US Embassy in New Delhi from 2005 to 2008.
“As we look to advance our interests across the Indo-Pacific, Sri lanka will be a critical partner,” Keshap said during his confirmation hearing.
“We want to help build a lasting peace and fellowship among Sri lanka’s ethnic and religious communities, including credible justice, accountability and reconciliation that can facilitate closure for those who suffered and lost loved ones during the war.”