India, May 19 -- Sibi George, a senior Indian diplomat, has come into the spotlight after a tense exchange with a Norwegian journalist during a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) briefing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Norway, where he strongly defended India's record on democracy, human rights and press freedom.

Sibi George is currently serving as Secretary (West) in the MEA, overseeing India's engagement with countries in Europe, West Asia and multilateral forums. A 1993-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, he has previously served as India's ambassador to Japan, Switzerland, Kuwait, the Holy See, Liechtenstein and the Marshall Islands.

George began his diplomatic career in Cairo and later held postings in Doha, Islamabad...