Minister of External Affairs (Vishwamitra)

Minister of External Affairs
Minister of External Affairs
विदेश मंत्री (Hindi)
	Coat of arms of Vishwamitra
	Incumbent; Arthur Lacey-Scott-FitzLacia; since 18 March 2023; Josh Ford; (Second Minister); since 14 August 2024
	Ministry of External Affairs
Style	The Honourable; (within Vishwamitra); His/Her Excellency; (international correspondence)
Abbreviation	MEA
Member of	Cabinet; Lok Sabha;
Reports to	Rashtradhyaksh; Prime Minister
Nominator	Prime Minister
Appointer	Rashtradhyaksh; on the recommendation of the Prime Minister
Term length	At His Illustrious and Royal Majesty's pleasure
Formation	10 July 2016
First holder	Saikat Seal
Deputy	Minister of State for External Affairs

The Minister of External Affairs (Hindi: विदेश मंत्री), commonly shortened to External Affairs Minister is the minister in the Cabinet of Vishwamitra who is responsible for overseeing the Vishwamitra's international affairs and the foreign matters. The minister is the head of the Ministry of External Affairs. The first Minister of Foreign Affairs was Saikat Seal who was appointed as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for External Affairs on 10 July 2016 by then Prime Minister Varuna Sriraya. The current Minister of External Affairs is Arthur Lacey-Scott-FitzLacia, the Second Deputy Prime Minister who was appointed on 18 March 2023. On 14 August 2024, Josh Ford was appointed as Second Minister of External Affairs.

The Minister of External Affairs is often assisted by a junior minister, titled as the Minister of State for External Affairs who acts as the deputy to the External Affairs Minister and the second highest office holder in the Ministry of External Affairs.

Between 2020 and 2021, the office was called the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Affairs as a merger of the independent ministries of External Affairs and International Relations.

History of office

The Minister of External Affairs has been the head of the Ministry of External Affairs since its formation on 10 July 2016 under prime minister Varuna Sriraya. The first minister was Saikat Seal who is till date the only minister of external affairs who did not hold a cabinet rank. He was appointed as a minister of state with independent charge. Following his appointment as Governor of North Guwahati on 18 September 2016, he was succeeded by Asmi Patranabis as the Minister of External Affairs who was a minister with cabinet rank. Often prime ministers like Varuna Sriraya, Tanishkaa Patranabish, Ștefan Marius Snagoveanu simultaneously served as the ministers of external affairs.

Arnab Sil holds the distinction of being the longest serving external affairs minister for 381 days in his two non-consecutive terms in the ministry while Ștefan Marius Snagoveanu was the first non-local minister of external affairs who was first appointed to the ministry in October 2020 by prime minister Anoushkaa Patranabish and continued to hold the position under his premiership.

The ministers have often been referred through various titles. From the inception of the ministry till 13 May 2018, the minister was referred to as the Minister of External Affairs. In the coup cabinet of Tanishkaa Patranabish, then external affairs minister Bishnu Chetry was titled as Secretary of State. In the post-coup governments until the establishment of the monarchy in June 2020, the minister was titled again as Minister of External Affairs. On 8 June 2020, the position was renamed to that of Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations which was again renamed on 6 March 2021 as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. On 18 June 2021, the ministry was again renamed back to its initial name. The minister has since then been named as the Minister of External Affairs.

Role and duties

The minister is usually one of the most senior members of Cabinet and a member on the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). The minister is seen as one of the people most responsible for formulating Vishwamitra's foreign policy, as they along with other relevant ministers advise the Prime Minister in developing and implementing foreign policy, and also acts as the government's main spokesperson on international affairs issues. The minister is also the principal advisor to the Rashtradhyaksh on matters on foreign affairs and serves as the First Ambassador of Vishwamitra. The minister is also responsible in the appointment of diplomatic officials including ambassadors appointed to foreign nations and the consuls general of the nation.

The minister along with their deputy, the minister of state for external affairs, preside over the following departments and agencies which fall under the jurisdiction of the ministry:

Department of Diplomatic Relations
Department of Foreign Trade
Department of International Relations
Diplomatic corps

List of ministers

Nineteen individuals have served as the Minister of External Affairs since the establishment of the ministry on 10 July 2016. Out of those fourteen individuals, three served as a minister as an additional ministry during their tenure as the Prime Minister. The first occupant of the ministry served as a Minister of State (Independent charge) whilst the others hold cabinet rank during their tenure as Minister of External Affairs. The first occupant of the office was Saikat Seal while the current minister is Arthur Lacey-Scott-FitzLacia who was appointed on 18 March 2023.

Key

I/C means Independent Charge
Caretaker Minister

Minister of External Affairs (2016–2018)

Portrait	Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency	Term of office			Political party	Ministry
Portrait	Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency	From	To	Period	Political party	Ministry
	Saikat Seal (born 2006) (Minister of State, I/C)	10 July 2016	18 September 2016	7001700000000000000♠70 days	Freedom	Varuna III
	Asmi Patranabis (born 2007)	18 September 2016	2 October 2016	7001140000000000000♠14 days	Secular
	Varuna Sriraya (born 2002) (Prime Minister)	2 October 2016	30 December 2016	7001890000000000000♠89 days
	Arnab Deka (born 2002)	30 December 2016	12 April 2017	7002103000000000000♠103 days		Varuna IV
	Abhiraj Kar (born 2006)	12 April 2017	5 July 2017	7001840000000000000♠84 days	Independent	Klarissa III
	Arnab Sil (born 2004)	5 July 2017	13 May 2018	7002312000000000000♠312 days	Freedom	Tanishkaa II
					Freedom	Varuna V
					Congress	Varuna VI
Post renamed as Secretary of State in 2018.

Secretary of State (2018)

Portrait	Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency	Term of office			Political party	Ministry
Portrait	Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency	From	To	Period	Political party	Ministry
	Bishnu Chetry (born 2001)	14 May 2018	12 October 2018	7002151000000000000♠151 days	Congress	Tanishkaa III
	Bishnu Chetry (born 2001)	14 May 2018	12 October 2018	7002151000000000000♠151 days	Congress	Varuna Interim II
Post renamed as Minister of External Affairs in 2018.

Minister of External Affairs (2018–2020)

Portrait	Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency	Term of office			Political party	Ministry
Portrait	Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency	From	To	Period	Political party	Ministry
	Abhiraj Kar (born 2006)	12 October 2018	6 January 2019	7001860000000000000♠86 days	Congress	Varuna VII
	Arnab Sil (born 2004) (Deputy Prime Minister from 17 March 2019)	7 January 2019	16 July 2019	7002190000000000000♠190 days		Tanishkaa IV
		7 January 2019	16 July 2019	7002190000000000000♠190 days		Tanishkaa V
	Tanishkaa Patranabish (born 2004) (Prime Minister)	16 July 2019	6 August 2019	7001210000000000000♠21 days
	Bishnu Chetry (born 2001) (Senior Minister)	6 August 2019	29 September 2019	7001540000000000000♠54 days
	Ankurjyoti Thakuria (born 2002) (Senior Minister)	29 September 2019	8 November 2019	7001400000000000000♠40 days
	Bishnu Chetry (born 2001)	8 November 2019	12 December 2019	7001340000000000000♠34 days
	Anoushkaa Patranabish (born 2010) (Deputy Prime Minister)	12 December 2019	10 January 2020	7001290000000000000♠29 days
	Bishnu Chetry (born 2001) (Deputy Prime Minister)	10 January 2020	3 March 2020	7001530000000000000♠53 days
	Anirban Phatowali (born 2009) Caretaker Minister	3 March 2020	9 March 2020	7000600000000000000♠6 days	Congress	Anoushkaa I (Caretaker)
	Ankurjyoti Thakuria (born 2002) Caretaker Minister	9 March 2020	22 March 2020	7001130000000000000♠13 days		Anoushkaa I (Caretaker)
	Bishnu Chetry (born 2001) MP for Kalapani (Deputy Prime Minister)	22 March 2020	30 April 2020	7001390000000000000♠39 days		Tanishkaa VI

	Asmi Patranabis (born 2007) Nominated MP	13 May 2020	7 June 2020	7001250000000000000♠25 days	Congress	Tanishkaa VII
	Varuna Sriraya (born 2002) (Uparashtradhyaksh)	8 June 2020	17 June 2020	7000900000000000000♠9 days	Non-affiliated	Anoushkaa II
Post merged with Minister of International Relations to constitute the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations in 2020.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations (2020–2021)

Portrait	Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency	Term of office			Political party	Ministry
Portrait	Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency	From	To	Period	Political party	Ministry
	His Highness The Excellency Nishwan Baidantic (born 2002) MP for Dadara (Senior Minister)	17 June 2020	16 September 2020	7001910000000000000♠91 days	Congress	Anoushkaa II
	His Highness The Excellency Nishwan Baidantic (born 2001) MP for Dhirenpara (Senior Minister)	16 September 2020	1 October 2020	7001150000000000000♠15 days
	His Royal Highness Prince Abhiraj Senior Prince of Purvanchal (born 2006) MP for Bharat Sevashram (Deputy Prime Minister)	1 October 2020	3 October 2020	7000200000000000000♠2 days
	His Excellency The Most Honourable Ștefan Marius Snagoveanu Duke of Entrosinhos (born 2004) (Prime Minister from 28 January 2021)	3 October 2020	28 January 2021	7002149000000000000♠149 days	Progress and Prosperity
		28 January 2021	1 March 2021	7002149000000000000♠149 days	Non-affiliated	Snagoveanu I (Caretaker)
Post renamed as Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2020.

Minister of Foreign Affairs (2021)

Portrait	Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency	Term of office			Political party	Ministry
Portrait	Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency	From	To	Period	Political party	Ministry
	Ștefan Marius Snagoveanu Duke of Entrosinhos (born 2004) MP for Rajagriha (Prime Minister)	6 March 2021	18 June 2021	7002104000000000000♠104 days	Congress	Snagoveanu II
Post renamed as Minister of External Affairs in 2020.

Minister of External Affairs (2021–present)

Portrait	Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency	Term of office			Political party	Ministry
Portrait	Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency	From	To	Period	Political party	Ministry
	His Excellency The Most Honourable General (Hon) Ștefan Marius Snagoveanu Duke of Entrosinhos (born 2004) MP for Rajagriha (Prime Minister)	18 June 2021	9 September 2021	7001830000000000000♠83 days	Congress	Snagoveanu II
	His Excellency Ested Vlasyn Baron Vlasyn (born 2001) MP for National List	11 September 2021	21 October 2021	7001400000000000000♠40 days	Congress	Hazarika I
	His Excellency Patrick Kenny (born 2002) Caretaker Minister	21 October 2021	22 November 2021	7001320000000000000♠32 days	Non-affiliated	Pillin (Caretaker)
	His Excellency Major General Rory Leonard Count of Griffith (born 2007) MP for Kalapani	22 November 2021	15 January 2022	7001540000000000000♠54 days	Congress	Hazarika II
	His Excellency The Right Honourable Admiral (Hon) Michal Nowacki Duke of Stettin (born 2003) Councillor for Purvanchal (Senior Minister until 31 January 2022, Deputy Prime Minister from 31 January 2022)	15 January 2022	17 March 2022	7001610000000000000♠61 days	Congress
	His Majesty Varuna Sriraya Rashtradhyaksh of Vishwamitra (born 2002) (Rashtradhyaksh)	17 March 2022	12 May 2022	7001560000000000000♠56 days	Non-affiliated
	The Most Honourable Liam Alexander Baron Alexander (born 2005) MP for Gotanagar	12 May 2022	13 July 2022 (on leave from 9 July)	7001620000000000000♠62 days		Hazarika III
	The Most Honourable Arthur Lacey-Scott-FitzLacia (born 2002) MP for Basistha Central (Additional charge)^[a]	9 July 2022	16 July 2022	7000700000000000000♠7 days
	The Most Honourable Rafe Hargreaves Count Hargreaves^[b] (born 2005) MP for Chandril	16 July 2022	18 March 2023	7002245000000000000♠245 days
		16 July 2022	18 March 2023	7002245000000000000♠245 days	Congress	Hazarika IV
	His Excellency Sri Rajanya Shahiraj General (Hon) Singhasri Arthur Lacey-Scott-FitzLacia^[c] (born 2002) MP for Kalapani (Deputy Prime Minister until 29 March 2024, again from 12 May 2024)	18 March 2023	Incumbent	7002630000000000000♠1 year, 264 days		Hazarika IV
						Hazarika V
						Klarissa IV
	The Honourable Maha Sri Indra Josh Ford (born 2006) (Second Minister)	14 August 2024^[d]	Incumbent	7002119000000000000♠119 days	National	Klarissa IV

Timeline

Term length

Below is the list of Ministers of External Affairs by total time in office:

Arthur Lacey-Scott-FitzLacia – 7002637000000000000♠1 year, 271 days
Arnab Sil – 1 year, 137 days
Ștefan Marius Snagoveanu – 336 days
Bishnu Chetry – 331 days
Rafe Hargreaves – 245 days
Abhiraj Kar – 172 days
Varuna Sriraya – 154 days
Ankurjyoti Thakuria – 144 days
Arnab Deka – 103 days
Saikat Seal – 70 days
Liam Alexander – 62 days
Michal Nowacki – 61 days
Rory Leonard – 54 days
Josh Ford – 7002119000000000000♠119 days
Ested Vlasyn – 40 days
Asmi Patranabis – 39 days
Patrick Kenny – 32 days
Anoushkaa Patranabish – 29 days
Tanishkaa Patranabish – 21 days
Nishwan Baidantic – 15 days
Anirban Phatowali – 6 days

Notes

↑ Parliamentary Affairs, Law and Justice minister Arthur Lacey-Scott-FitzLacia was assigned the additional duties of the Minister of External Affairs for the period of leave of absence of Liam Alexander.
↑ Baron Hargreaves of Somerset from 13 August 2022 until 12 November 2022.
↑ Duke Lacey-Scott-FitzLacia until 6 August 2023.
↑ For the first time in history, two ministers of external affairs were in office for the first time. On 14 August 2024, Josh Ford was appointed as Second Minister of Foreign Affairs, while serving minister Arthur Lacey-Scott-FitzLacia remained the senior-most minister in the ministry.