Who is Sibi George from Kottayam, Indian diplomat involved in the faceoff with a Norwegian journalist?

SIBI George, an Indian diplomat, has gone viral after he responded to a Norwegian journalist who questioned why India should be trusted, given its alleged human rights violations.

Responding to Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng Svendsen, George, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, elaborated on why India has been a trusted partner of so many countries globally and cited New Delhi's successful hosting of the G20 summit, the Voice of the Global South summits and the recent AI Impact Summit.

George said India's Constitution guarantees a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic and ensures justice, liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith, and worship, as well as equality of opportunity, through its fundamental rights and principles.

"We are one-sixth of the total population of the world, but not one-sixth of the problems of the world," he said.

“People have no understanding of the scale of India. They read one or two reports published by some God-forsaken, ignorant NGOs and then come and ask questions. Don't worry about it. We are proud to be a democracy; we have been a democratic society for centuries,” he said.

Who is Sibi George?

Sibi George is a 1993 batch Indian Foreign Service officer who has served as the Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, India since 2025. Born in Kottayam, George is a post-graduate in Political Science from St. Thomas College, Pala, and also holds a diploma in Arabic from The American University in Cairo.

George began his career as a diplomat in 1993 in Cairo, Egypt, where he served at the Indian Embassy as a Political Officer.

He has also served in Indian diplomatic missions across Doha, Islamabad, Washington, Tehran, and Riyadh in various capacities.

Back home in India, George served in the East Asia Division of the MEA and also as coordinator of the India–Africa Forum Summit.

George also served as India's Ambassador to Switzerland, the Vatican City, and the Principality of Liechtenstein.

Responding to the Norwegian journalist, George also said that India granted equal rights to women from the first day of independence, unlike many other countries, thereby demonstrating its firm belief in equality and human rights.

“In 1947, we gave the freedom to vote to our women. We fought for our freedom together and won the right to vote from day one. I know of many countries where women's voting rights came after several decades. We believe in equality; We believe in human rights. If anyone whose rights are violated, they have the right to go to court. We are proud to be a democracy,” he said.

What did Helle Lyng Svendsen do?

Earlier, Svendsen unsuccessfully attempted to ask a question to the Indian prime minister after he and his Norwegian counterpart, Jonas Gahr Store, made their media statements. The media had already been told that the two leaders wouldn't take questions at the joint interaction.

Subsequently, the Indian Embassy in Norway responded to Svendsen's social media post on the issue, saying she was “most welcome to come and ask your questions” at a press briefing organised by the mission.