New Delhi [India], December 19 (ANI): Alok Ranjan Jha, presently serving as India's Ambassador to Belarus, has been appointed as India's High Commissioner to Zambia, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Thursday.

Alok Ranjan Jha joined the Indian Foreign Service in 2002. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly.

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In a press release, MEA said, "Shri Alok Ranjan Jha (IFS: 2002), presently Ambassador of India to Belarus, has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Zambia."

Jha has served in various capacities in the Indian diplomatic missions abroad and at the headquarters in New Delhi. Prior to assuming charge as India's Ambassador to Belarus, Alok Ranjan Jha served as Joint Secretary, MEA, New Delhi heading two Divisions dealing with Establishment matters as well as Global Estate Management.

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On November 6, Zambia Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe and Union Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, co-chaired the 6th Session of Zambia- India Joint Permanent Commission, according to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Both leaders expressed appreciation for the growing momentum in bilateral relationships and re-affirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral ties for the benefit of the people of both countries.

The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the continued exchange of visits and underlined the importance of regular exchange at the political and official levels, including interactions within multilateral and plurilateral fora, including the UN, according to MEA.

Mulambo Haimbe and Kirti Vardhan Singh acknowledged the need to organise more events and programmes in each other's country to commemorate 60 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Zambia, MEA said.

Both sides reviewed and discussed cooperation in the areas of Agriculture, Education, Science & Technology, Energy, Culture, Housing and Urban Development, Finance, Development Partnership, Training Scholarship and Capacity Building, Defence, Mines and Mineral Resources, Transport & Communications, Water Development and Sanitation, Disaster Management Healthcare, Cooperative and SMEs, and Consular issues. (ANI)

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