Australia’s High Commissioner to Tonga, Andrew Ford will be leaving next month to establish and lead his country’s new diplomatic presence in Kolkata, India.
Ford’s new appointment as Consul General in Kolkata was announced by Australia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senator Marise Payne Friday.
The outgoing diplomatic also tweeted “Sadly I finish up in Tonga in four weeks time.”
In a press release, Senator Payne said India is at the forefront of Australia's international partnerships. In 2017-18, India was Australia's fifth largest trading partner, with a total two-way trade in goods and services of $29.1 billion, and two-way investment in 2017 of AU$29.5 billion.
The Consulate-General in Kolkata will play a key role in furthering Australia's trade, commercial and investment interests in the eastern and north east Indian states of West Bengal, Arunachal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland Odisha, Pradesh, Sikkim and Tripura. Australia's economic links with West Bengal and neighbouring states are substantial and expanding, including through the Australia-India Mining Partnership.
Ford is a career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently Head of Mission, Australian High Commission, Tonga.
He has previously served overseas in Kuala Lumpur and Seoul.
In Canberra Ford has held a range of positions, most recently as Director of the Free Trade Agreement Policy and New Issues Section.
Ford holds a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) from Monash University.
A new High Commissioner to Tonga is expected to be announced soon.
Photo source SPC. Caption: Australian High Commissioner, Andrew Ford