Minister of External Affairs (Vishwamitra)
Minister of External Affairs विदेश मंत्री | |
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Ministry of External Affairs | |
Style | The Most Honourable |
Abbreviation | MEA |
Member of | |
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 | |||
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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 |
70 days | Freedom Party | Dhrubajyoti III | Dhrubajyoti Roy | ||
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Asmi Patranabis अस्मी पत्रनबिस (born 2007) |
18 September 2016 |
2 October 2016 |
14 days | Secular Party | |||
Dhrubajyoti Roy ध्रुबज्योति रॉय (born 2002) (Prime Minister) |
2 October 2016 |
30 December 2016 |
89 days | |||||
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Arnab Deka अर्नब डेका (born 2002) |
30 December 2016 |
12 April 2017 |
103 days | Dhrubajyoti IV | |||
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Abhiraj Kar अभिराज कर (born 2006) |
12 April 2017 |
5 July 2017 |
84 days | Independent Party | Sarala III | Sarala Baishya | |
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Arnab Sil अर्नब सिल (born 2004) |
5 July 2017 |
25 December 2017 |
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) | ||||||||
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Bishnu Chetry बिष्णु छेत्री (born 2001) |
14 May 2018 |
12 October 2018 |
151 days | Congress | Tanishkaa III | Tanishkaa Patranabish | |
Dhrubajyoti Roy | ||||||||
Ministers of External Affairs (12 October 2018 – 17 June 2020) | ||||||||
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Abhiraj Kar अभिराज कर (born 2006) |
12 October 2018 |
6 January 2019 |
86 days | Congress | Dhrubajyoti VII | Dhrubajyoti Roy | |
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Arnab Sil अर्नब सिल (born 2004) |
7 January 2019 |
17 March 2019 |
190 days | Tanishkaa IV | Tanishkaa Patranabish | ||
17 March 2019 |
16 July 2019 |
Tanishkaa V | ||||||
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Tanishkaa Patranabish तनिष्का पत्रनबिश (born 2004) (Prime Minister) |
16 July 2019 |
6 August 2019 |
21 days | ||||
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Bishnu Chetry बिष्णु छेत्री (born 2001) |
6 August 2019 |
29 September 2019 |
54 days | ||||
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Ankurjyoti Thakuria अंकुरज्योति ठाकुरिया (born 2002) |
29 September 2019 |
8 November 2019 |
40 days | ||||
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Bishnu Chetry बिष्णु छेत्री (born 2001) |
8 November 2019 |
12 December 2019 |
34 days | ||||
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Anoushkaa Patranabish अनुष्का पत्रनबिश (born 2010) |
12 December 2019 |
10 January 2020 |
29 days | ||||
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Bishnu Chetry बिष्णु छेत्री (born 2001) |
10 January 2020 |
3 March 2020 |
53 days | ||||
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Anirban Phatowali अनिर्बान फतोवाली (born 2009) |
3 March 2020 |
9 March 2020 |
6 days | Congress | Anoushkaa I | Anoushkaa Patranabish | |
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Ankurjyoti Thakuria अंकुरज्योति ठाकुरिया (born 2002) |
9 March 2020 |
22 March 2020 |
13 days | ||||
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Bishnu Chetry बिष्णु छेत्री (born 2001) |
22 March 2020 |
30 April 2020 |
39 days | Tanishkaa VI | Tanishkaa Patranabish | ||
Position vacant between 1 May and 13 May 2020. | ||||||||
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Asmi Patranabis अस्मी पत्रनबिस (born 2007) |
13 May 2020 |
7 June 2020 |
25 days | Congress | Tanishkaa VII | Tanishkaa Patranabish | |
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Uparashtradhyaksh Dhrubajyoti Roy उपराष्ट्राध्यक्ष ध्रुबज्योति रॉय (born 2002) (Advisor on Foreign Affairs) |
8 June 2020 |
17 June 2020 |
9 days | Independent | Anoushkaa II | Princess Anoushkaa | |
Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Relations (17 June – 1 March 2021) | ||||||||
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Ankurjyoti Thakuria अंकुरज्योति ठाकुरिया (born 2002) |
17 June 2020 |
16 September 2020 |
91 days | Congress | Anoushkaa II | Princess Anoushkaa | |
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Nishwan Baidantic निश्वान बैदांतिक (born 2001) |
16 September 2020 |
1 October 2020 |
15 days | ||||
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Senior Prince Abhiraj वरिष्ठराजकुमार अभिराज (born 2006) |
1 October 2020 |
3 October 2020 |
2 days | ||||
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Duke Ștefan Marius Snagoveanu स्टेफन मारियस स्नागोवेनु (born 2004) |
3 October 2020 |
28 January 2021 |
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) | ||||||||
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Duke Ștefan Marius Snagoveanu स्टेफन मारियस स्नागोवेनु (born 2004) (Prime Minister) |
6 March 2021 |
18 June 2021 |
104 days | Congress | Ștefan II | Self | |
Ministers of External Affairs (18 June 2021 – present) | ||||||||
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Duke Ștefan Marius Snagoveanu स्टेफन मारियस स्नागोवेनु (born 2004) (Prime Minister) |
18 June 2021 |
11 September 2021 |
85 days | Congress | Ștefan II | Self | |
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Baron Ned Vodă नेड वोडा (born 2001) |
11 September 2021 |
21 October 2021 |
40 days | Farhaz I | Duke Farhaz Hazarika | ||
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Patrick Kenny पैट्रिक केनी (born 2002) |
21 October 2021 |
22 November 2021 |
32 days | Independent | Phillip | Count Phillip Joseph Pillin | |
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Count Rory McPhail रोरी मैकफैल (born 2007) |
22 November 2021 |
15 January 2022 |
54 days | Congress | Farhaz II | Duke Farhaz Hazarika | |
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Duke Michal Nowacki मिशल नोवाकी (born 2003) |
15 January 2022 |
17 March 2022 |
1 year, 61 days | ||||
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Rashtradhyaksh Dhrubajyoti Roy राष्ट्राध्यक्ष ध्रुबज्योति रॉय (born 2002) |
17 March 2022 |
12 May 2022 |
56 days | Independent | |||
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Count Tyler Mullins टायलर मुलिंस (born 1997) (Advisor to the Government) |
Congress | ||||||
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Liam Alexander लियाम अलेक्जेंडर (born 2005) |
12 May 2022 |
13 July 2022 (on leave from 9 July) |
62 days | Independent | Farhaz III | ||
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Arthur Lacey-Scott आर्थर लेसी-स्कॉट (born 2002) (Additional charge)[a] |
9 July 2022 |
16 July 2022 |
7 days | ||||
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Count Rafe Burfield राफे बरफ़ील्ड (born 2005) |
16 July 2022 |
11 November 2022 |
203 days | ||||
12 November 2022 |
Incumbent | Congress | Farhaz IV |
Notes
- ↑ Parliamentary Affairs, Law and Justice minister Arthur Lacey-Scott was assigned the additional duties of the Minister of External Affairs for the period of leave of absence of Liam Alexander.