Minister of External Affairs (Vishwamitra)

Minister of External Affairs विदेश मंत्री
Coat of arms
Incumbent Count Rafe Burfield since 16 July 2022
Ministry of External Affairs
Style	The Most Honourable
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 Majesty's pleasure
Formation	10 July 2016; 4 years ago
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 Dhrubajyoti Roy. The current Minister of External Affairs is Rafe Burfield who was appointed on 16 July 2022.

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 Dhrubajyoti Roy. 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 Dhrubajyoti Roy, 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 International Relations
• Department of Diplomatic Relations
• Department of Overseas Territories
• Department of Foreign Trade
• Diplomatic corps

List of ministers

Eighteen 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 Rafe Burfield who was appointed on 16 July 2022 and has previously served as the minister of state in the ministry.

Key

• MoS, I/c means Minister of State (Independent charge)

Portrait		Minister (Birth-Death)	Term of office			Political party	Ministry	Prime Minister
			From	To	Period
Ministers of External Affairs (10 July 2016 – 14 May 2018)
		Saikat Seal सैकत सील (born 2006) (MoS, I/c)	10 July 2016	18 September 2016	7001700000000000000♠70 days	Freedom Party	Dhrubajyoti III	Dhrubajyoti Roy
		Asmi Patranabis अस्मी पत्रनबिस (born 2007)	18 September 2016	2 October 2016	7001140000000000000♠14 days	Secular Party
		Dhrubajyoti Roy ध्रुबज्योति रॉय (born 2002) (Prime Minister)	2 October 2016	30 December 2016	7001890000000000000♠89 days
		Arnab Deka अर्नब डेका (born 2002)	30 December 2016	12 April 2017	7002103000000000000♠103 days		Dhrubajyoti IV
		Abhiraj Kar अभिराज कर (born 2006)	12 April 2017	5 July 2017	7001840000000000000♠84 days	Independent Party	Sarala III	Sarala Baishya
		Arnab Sil अर्नब सिल (born 2004)	5 July 2017	25 December 2017	7002312000000000000♠312 days	Freedom Party	Tanishkaa II	Tanishkaa Patranabish
			25 December 2017	21 March 2018			Dhrubajyoti V	Dhrubajyoti Roy
			21 March 2018	13 May 2018		Congress	Dhrubajyoti VI
Secretaries of State (14 May – 12 October 2018)
		Bishnu Chetry बिष्णु छेत्री (born 2001)	14 May 2018	12 October 2018	7002151000000000000♠151 days	Congress	Tanishkaa III	Tanishkaa Patranabish
								Dhrubajyoti Roy
Ministers of External Affairs (12 October 2018 – 17 June 2020)
		Abhiraj Kar अभिराज कर (born 2006)	12 October 2018	6 January 2019	7001860000000000000♠86 days	Congress	Dhrubajyoti VII	Dhrubajyoti Roy
		Arnab Sil अर्नब सिल (born 2004)	7 January 2019	17 March 2019	7002190000000000000♠190 days		Tanishkaa IV	Tanishkaa Patranabish
			17 March 2019	16 July 2019			Tanishkaa V
		Tanishkaa Patranabish तनिष्का पत्रनबिश (born 2004) (Prime Minister)	16 July 2019	6 August 2019	7001210000000000000♠21 days
		Bishnu Chetry बिष्णु छेत्री (born 2001)	6 August 2019	29 September 2019	7001540000000000000♠54 days
		Ankurjyoti Thakuria अंकुरज्योति ठाकुरिया (born 2002)	29 September 2019	8 November 2019	7001400000000000000♠40 days
		Bishnu Chetry बिष्णु छेत्री (born 2001)	8 November 2019	12 December 2019	7001340000000000000♠34 days
		Anoushkaa Patranabish अनुष्का पत्रनबिश (born 2010)	12 December 2019	10 January 2020	7001290000000000000♠29 days
		Bishnu Chetry बिष्णु छेत्री (born 2001)	10 January 2020	3 March 2020	7001530000000000000♠53 days
		Anirban Phatowali अनिर्बान फतोवाली (born 2009)	3 March 2020	9 March 2020	7000600000000000000♠6 days	Congress	Anoushkaa I	Anoushkaa Patranabish
		Ankurjyoti Thakuria अंकुरज्योति ठाकुरिया (born 2002)	9 March 2020	22 March 2020	7001130000000000000♠13 days
		Bishnu Chetry बिष्णु छेत्री (born 2001)	22 March 2020	30 April 2020	7001390000000000000♠39 days		Tanishkaa VI	Tanishkaa Patranabish
Position vacant between 1 May and 13 May 2020.
		Asmi Patranabis अस्मी पत्रनबिस (born 2007)	13 May 2020	7 June 2020	7001250000000000000♠25 days	Congress	Tanishkaa VII	Tanishkaa Patranabish
		Uparashtradhyaksh Dhrubajyoti Roy उपराष्ट्राध्यक्ष ध्रुबज्योति रॉय (born 2002) (Advisor on Foreign Affairs)	8 June 2020	17 June 2020	7000900000000000000♠9 days	Independent	Anoushkaa II	Princess Anoushkaa
Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Relations (17 June – 1 March 2021)
		Ankurjyoti Thakuria अंकुरज्योति ठाकुरिया (born 2002)	17 June 2020	16 September 2020	7001910000000000000♠91 days	Congress	Anoushkaa II	Princess Anoushkaa
		Nishwan Baidantic निश्वान बैदांतिक (born 2001)	16 September 2020	1 October 2020	7001150000000000000♠15 days
		Senior Prince Abhiraj वरिष्ठराजकुमार अभिराज (born 2006)	1 October 2020	3 October 2020	7000200000000000000♠2 days
		Duke Ștefan Marius Snagoveanu स्टेफन मारियस स्नागोवेनु (born 2004)	3 October 2020	28 January 2021	7002149000000000000♠149 days	Party of Progress and Prosperity
			28 January 2021	1 March 2021		Independent	Ștefan I	Self
Position vacant between 1 March and 5 March 2021.
Ministers of Foreign Affairs (6 March – 18 June 2021)
		Duke Ștefan Marius Snagoveanu स्टेफन मारियस स्नागोवेनु (born 2004) (Prime Minister)	6 March 2021	18 June 2021	7002104000000000000♠104 days	Congress	Ștefan II	Self
Ministers of External Affairs (18 June 2021 – present)
		Duke Ștefan Marius Snagoveanu स्टेफन मारियस स्नागोवेनु (born 2004) (Prime Minister)	18 June 2021	11 September 2021	7001850000000000000♠85 days	Congress	Ștefan II	Self
		Baron Ned Vodă नेड वोडा (born 2001)	11 September 2021	21 October 2021	7001400000000000000♠40 days		Farhaz I	Duke Farhaz Hazarika
		Patrick Kenny पैट्रिक केनी (born 2002)	21 October 2021	22 November 2021	7001320000000000000♠32 days	Independent	Phillip	Count Phillip Joseph Pillin
		Count Rory McPhail रोरी मैकफैल (born 2007)	22 November 2021	15 January 2022	7001540000000000000♠54 days	Congress	Farhaz II	Duke Farhaz Hazarika
		Duke Michal Nowacki मिशल नोवाकी (born 2003)	15 January 2022	17 March 2022	7002426000000000000♠1 year, 61 days
		Rashtradhyaksh Dhrubajyoti Roy राष्ट्राध्यक्ष ध्रुबज्योति रॉय (born 2002)	17 March 2022	12 May 2022	7001560000000000000♠56 days	Independent
		Count Tyler Mullins टायलर मुलिंस (born 1997) (Advisor to the Government)				Congress
		Liam Alexander लियाम अलेक्जेंडर (born 2005)	12 May 2022	13 July 2022 (on leave from 9 July)	7001620000000000000♠62 days	Independent	Farhaz III
		Arthur Lacey-Scott आर्थर लेसी-स्कॉट (born 2002) (Additional charge)	9 July 2022	16 July 2022	7000700000000000000♠7 days
		Count Rafe Burfield राफे बरफ़ील्ड (born 2005)	16 July 2022	11 November 2022	7002203000000000000♠203 days
			12 November 2022	Incumbent		Congress	Farhaz IV