The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) appointed Hansraj Singh Verma, a 2008-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, as India’s next Ambassador to the Republic of Cuba on 18 September 2026. He was serving as the Consul General of India in São Paulo, Brazil, before his appointment and is expected to take up his new assignment in Havana shortly. Verma has extensive diplomatic experience, having served in Indian missions across Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America. His previous assignments include Buenos Aires, Paris, Accra, Frankfurt, Maputo and Lisbon. The appointment comes as India continues to strengthen its longstanding diplomatic ties with Cuba, established in 1960, with cooperation spanning trade, development assistance, energy and cultural exchanges.