India-Cuba Ties are set to enter a new phase as Hansraj Singh Verma, a 2008-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, has been appointed as India’s next Ambassador to Cuba. The Ministry of External Affairs announced the appointment on September 18, 2026. Verma is currently serving as the Consul General of India in São Paulo, Brazil, and is expected to take up his new assignment in Havana shortly.

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Hansraj Singh Verma to Move From São Paulo to Havana

Hansraj Singh Verma has been serving as India’s Consul General in São Paulo since September 14, 2024. Before his current assignment in Brazil, he worked as Counsellor in charge of Political and Commercial Affairs at the Embassy of India in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

His diplomatic career includes assignments at several Indian missions abroad, including Chittagong, Paris, Accra, Frankfurt, Maputo, Lisbon and Buenos Aires. He has also worked at the Ministry of External Affairs headquarters in New Delhi. From March 2019 to July 2021, he served as Deputy Chief of Protocol at the MEA.

His move to Havana will bring experience from both Latin America and India’s diplomatic headquarters to the country’s mission in Cuba.

T. Armstrong Changsan to Move to Armenia

Verma will take over the Cuba assignment following the appointment of T. Armstrong Changsan as India’s next Ambassador to Armenia. Changsan had been serving as India’s Ambassador to Cuba and was appointed to the Armenia post in August 2026.

The diplomatic change is part of India’s regular process of rotating senior officials across overseas missions. Verma is expected to assume charge in Havana after completing the required formalities.

India-Cuba Ties Have a Long History

India-Cuba Ties have remained friendly for decades. India was among the first countries to recognise Cuba’s new government after the Cuban Revolution in January 1959. The two countries established diplomatic missions in their respective capitals soon afterwards, with India’s first head of mission presenting credentials in Havana in January 1960.

Political contacts between the two countries have continued through the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and other international forums. India and Cuba have also supported each other’s positions and candidatures in several multilateral institutions.

The relationship also includes high-level visits. Former Indian Prime Ministers Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh visited Cuba, while President Droupadi Murmu’s predecessor Ram Nath Kovind visited the country in June 2018. Cuban leaders, including Fidel Castro and Miguel Díaz-Canel, have also maintained contacts with Indian leaders.

Trade and Development Cooperation

The relationship between India and Cuba is not limited to political contacts. Both countries have worked together in areas such as health, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, biotechnology, renewable energy and information technology.

India has also provided assistance to Cuba at different points. In recent years, India supported Cuban food security through the supply of rice under a line of credit. The Ministry of External Affairs has also recorded cooperation in areas including pharmaceuticals and development assistance.

The two countries have an institutional framework for economic, scientific and technical cooperation through a Joint Commission. Such mechanisms provide a channel for discussing trade, technology and development-related cooperation.

Cuba’s Role in India’s Latin America Engagement

Cuba is located in the Caribbean and has long been an important point of contact for India’s engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean. India’s diplomatic mission in Havana works on political, economic, cultural and consular matters.

Verma’s previous experience in Buenos Aires and São Paulo is relevant to his new posting because both assignments involved India’s engagement with countries in the Latin American region. His work in São Paulo has included interaction with Brazilian institutions, businesses and the Indian community.

The new assignment will place him in charge of India’s diplomatic mission in Havana at a time when India continues to engage with countries across Latin America and the Caribbean through trade, development cooperation and multilateral platforms.

Current India-Cuba Engagement

The appointment also follows recent high-level India-Cuba contact. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla visited New Delhi in May 2026 for the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. During the meeting, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held talks with his Cuban counterpart.

This recent ministerial contact provides a current backdrop for Verma’s upcoming assignment. The two countries continue to maintain diplomatic communication through bilateral channels as well as international organisations.

Verma’s Diplomatic Experience

The new Ambassador brings experience from several regions and different areas of diplomatic work. His assignments have included political and commercial affairs, protocol, consular matters and work at the MEA headquarters. The Consulate General of India in São Paulo describes him as an IFS officer with experience across missions in Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America.

His posting in Havana will now place him at the centre of India’s diplomatic engagement with Cuba, covering political relations, economic cooperation, cultural links and consular matters.

With the appointment announced, Verma is expected to take up his responsibilities in Havana shortly, while outgoing Ambassador T. Armstrong Changsan prepares for his next assignment in Armenia.