Senior diplomat Vijay Keshav Gokhale today took charge as the Foreign Secretary. Mr Gokhale, an Officer of 1981 batch Indian Foreign Service was serving as the Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs prior to his new assignment as Foreign Secretary. He will have a two-year tenure. He succeeded S Jaishankar who was given one-year extension in January last year. <br/><br/>Mr Gokhale had played a key role in negotiations to resolve the Doklam standoff between Indian and Chinese armies last year. He also served as India's Ambassador to China, Germany and worked in Indian missions in Hong Kong, Hanoi and in New York.<br/><br/>