Amitav Banerji, an Indian diplomat in the UK has been conferred with one of the highest awards of Cyprus for his work in a number of senior roles within the Commonwealth Secretariat for over two decades. Banerji, 63, was presented with his Commander of the Order of Merit at a ceremony at the Cyprus High Commission.

• Born in 1953, Banerji graduated from Georgetown University and went on to do his Masters from the Delhi School of Economics.
• He joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1975 and served in different capacities for 15 years, including postings to Pakistan, Spain and Malaysia.
• From August 1990 to May 2015, he served in a series of roles at the Commonwealth Secretariat including Head of the Secretary General’s Office and towards the last six years as Political Director.

Did You Know?

• Cyprus is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, off the coasts of Syria and Turkey.
•  Cyprus is the third largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean, and a member state of the European Union.
• Cyprus suffers from a chronic shortage of water. The country relies heavily on rain to provide household water, but in the past 30 years average yearly precipitation has decreased.
• Turkey is building a water pipeline under the Mediterranean Sea from Anamur on its southern coast to the northern coast of Cyprus, to supply Northern Cyprus with potable and irrigation water