Former Indian Ambassador, Author, Toastmaster, Strategic Advisor and West Asia Analyst
Dr. Ausaf Sayeed
Ambassador Dr Ausaf Sayeed (b. September 18, 1963) is a seasoned Indian diplomat (IFS 1989 Batch) and strategic thinker who has served as Secretary (CPV and OIA) in the Ministry of External Affairs, as Ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and as High Commissioner to Seychelles.
He also served as a diplomat in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Denmark, Yemen and Chicago. In India, he served as Joint Secretary (West Africa) in Delhi and as Regional Passport Officer in Hyderabad.
As Secretary (CPV & OIA), he was responsible for all matters relating to Consular, Passport, Visas, Overseas Emigration, and NRI & Overseas Indian Affairs, as well as affairs of GCC and WANA countries.
During his nearly 34 years of diplomatic service, Dr Sayeed has represented India’s interests in the political, economic, consular, and cultural realms and has fostered friendly relationships with nations around the world.
My Journey
Dr Ausaf Sayeed has handled various areas of work over his nearly 34 years of diplomatic service, including political, economic, consular, and cultural work, as well as Hajj management.
Dr Ausaf Sayeed holds a Master of Science and a PhD in Geology from Osmania University in Hyderabad, India, and an Advanced Diploma in Arabic from the American University in Cairo. He is a Competent Toastmaster (CTM) and recipient of Shri Y.G.K.Murthy Gold Medal from Osmania University, Hyderabad. The prestigious Yoga Mithra Award was also conferred on him by the S-Vyasa University for his efforts to promote Yoga in Saudi Arabia.
Delhi, India
Secretary (CPV & OIA)
Ministry of External Affairs
2022 – 2023
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Ambassador of India
2019 – 2022
Mahe, Seychelles
High Commissioner of India
2017 – 2019
Chicago, USA
Consul General of India
2013 – 2017
Sanaa, Yemen
Ambassador of India
2010 – 2013
Years in Service
Countries Worked in
Countries Visited
Photo Gallery
Dr. Ausaf Sayeed
Gandhi Jayanti in Riyadh
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi
With PM Modi and Swami Ishatmananda
With His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
With Crown Prince HRH Mohammad Bin Salman
With former President Pranab Mukherjee
With former President Ram Nath Kovind
With former President Smt. Pratibha Patil
With former President Danny Faure of Seychelles
With Vice-President Vincent Meriton of Seychelles
Dalai_Lama
With HRH Prince AdbulAziz Bin Salman
With Saudi Foreign Minister HH Faisal Bin Farhan
Republic Day Celebrations in Riyadh, 2020
Independence Day Celebrations 2016, Chicago
My Publications
Indian Art & Culture – Time & Tradition
Indian Art & Culture
Trends In Indian Culture And Heritage
Trends in Objective Geology
Kulliyat-e-Awaz Sayeed
Latest Blogs and Articles
Saudi-Iran Relations in Recent Times: Détente, Challenges, and Regional Implications
The recent escalation of tensions between Iran and Israel has put the fragile rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to the test, highlighting both the potential and limitations of Saudi-Iranian reconciliation.
Diplomacy must set the terms in West Asia
Iran’s unprecedented retaliation against Israel with a barrage of nearly 200 ballistic missiles marks a major escalation in tensions between the two countries. This was Iran’s largest-ever single ballistic missile attack on Israel, the second direct attack on Israel since the April 2024 attack that used a combination of drones and missiles. India has a deep interest in West Asia, its largest trading partner, which supplies more than half of its energy and three-quarters of its fertiliser requirements.
Hyderabad – A rich history of medical education, treatment and research
Hyderabad has long been a pioneer of medical education, treatment and research. It was far ahead of other princely states and British-administered territories of that time, particularly in the field of Medicine.
The Hyderabad Medical School, which eventually became Osmania Medical College, was established way back in 1846 by the 5th Nizam of Hyderabad, Afzal-ud-Dowlah. It was the third-oldest medical college in the entire British India, next only to the Calcutta Medical College and Madras Medical College, which were established in 1835.
Fighting Hunger – Building Hope
We relished a delicious and sumptuous dinner and satiated ourselves with a fine dessert. Now if we pause for a moment and ponder: How many people in the world were as lucky as we are to get a satisfactory dinner that could give them peaceful sleep in the night?
Almost 870 million people across the globe may go to bed hungry tonight, 200 million of them children!! That means that one in every eight people on Earth goes to bed hungry each night!
Hunger is number one on the list of the world’s top 10 health risks. It kills more people every year than AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis combined.
Kamaran Island — Transit for Indian Hajj Pilgrims in the past
Kamaran or the ‘Island of two Moons’ is considered the largest shelf-island in the Red Sea. It was first mentioned in the “History of World Ports” in 525 A.D. Kamaran has been occupied by various foreign powers during its history, which include Ethiopians, Mamaluks, Persians, Portuguese, Turks and the British.
The Rich History and Tradition of Vegetarianism in India
India, the world’s second most populous country, with a population of over 1.2 billion, has around 500 million vegetarians. Vegetarianism is a mainstream way of life with 42% of Indian households eschewing meat, fish and eggs. This constitutes 70% of the world’s vegetarians. India has more vegetarians than all the world’s vegetarians put together. Vegetarianism is ingrained in Indian society, and there are laws requiring all packaged products to be labelled with a mandatory mark showing if the product is vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
In The News
Contact Me
‘Modi’s West Asia tour aims at strategic hedging’
Read today's op-ed by Ausaf Sayeed👇http://toi.in/mri0JZ
: ‘Modi’s West Asia tour aims at strategic hedging’ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/not-categorized/modis-west-asia-tour-aims-at-strategic-hedging/
Sharing my article: "Flanking the Axis: India’s Strategic Hedge in West Asia" on PM Modi’s three-nation tour to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman, which comes amid geopolitical churn in West Asia and the crystallisation of a new Saudi-Pakistan-US alignment, offering a window into
Article "Remembering Mughni Tabassum".. continued (2/2)
4