Who is Sibi George? The seasoned diplomat who drew social media attention

Sibi George, who drew viral attention on social media after a tense exchange with a Norwegian journalist during the ongoing European tour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is a seasoned diplomat and is known as an Arabic speaker who has spent a significant amount of time in West Asia.

George has served as the Indian Ambassador on three occasions, with his most recent stint being to Japan. He also held the important charge of postings and transfers of Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in headquarters in the past.

George is currently serving as Secretary (West) at the Ministry of External Affairs and is accompanying the Prime Minister on his European tour that includes Italy, Norway, Sweden and Netherlands. On Monday, the diplomat’s response to a question during a press conference in Oslo on human rights and press freedom in India went viral on social media.


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As Secretary (West), George is in charge of India’s relations with the European Union and several European nations including the Nordic countries.

George joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1993 and began his diplomatic career in Cairo, before moving to missions in Doha, Islamabad and Washington DC. He also served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Indian Missions in Tehran and Riyadh. Before joining as Secretary (West), the officer served as Ambassador of India to Japan, Switzerland, The Holy See and Kuwait.

Besides the postings abroad, the diplomat served in the East Asia Division and also as coordinator of India - Africa Forum Summit. He also headed Administration, Establishment and Welfare Divisions in the Ministry of External Affairs in the past. In 2014, he was conferred the SK Singh Award for Excellence in Indian Foreign Service.

The diplomat is from Kerala’s Kottayam District and is a gold medallist both for his graduation and post-graduation. He has studied at the American University in Cairo, Indian Institute of Management(IIM), Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade(IIFT), New Delhi and Indian School of Business(ISB), Hyderabad.

He is married to Joice John Pampoorethu, an artist by profession. They have two daughters, Elhita Thampuran and Ayilya Thampuran, and a son, Jeff Vakhan Thampuran.