(News from 3rd March): Raisina Dialogue, a joint initiative of the Ministry of External Affairs and a leading think tank, Observer Research Foundation.

The three-day Dialogue, organised on the lines of the famous Shangrila Dialogue held in Singapore, will see participation of more than 100 speakers from over 35 countries. It is focusing on Asia’s physical, economic, human and digital connectivity, attempting to discover opportunities and challenges for the region to manage its common spaces, as well as the global partnerships needed to develop common pathways in this century.

A powerhouse panel of former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the Bangladeshi foreign minister Mahmood Ali were amongst those who shared the stage with Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj at the opening session.

Ms Kumaratunga accused South Asian nations of lacking a common vision, saying, “shared cultures had succeeded in dividing us in our quest for a national identity as opposed to a regional identity. This has led to violent inter-state and intra-state conflicts, making South Asia one of the 2 most violent regions in the world.” She blamed India-Pakistan tensions for holding regional cooperation hostage for the last 70 years.

About Raisina Dialogue

• The Raisina Dialogue is an annual conference held in New Delhi, envisioned to be India’s flagship conference of geopolitics and geo-economics.
• The conference, organized like the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, is held jointly by Ministry of External Affairs, India and the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), an independent think tank based in India.
• The conference name comes from Raisina Hill, the elevation in New Delhi, which is the location of both the Government of India as well as the presidential palace of India, Rashtrapati Bhavan, which inspired the design of the conference symbol.
• The 2016 conclave focussed on Asia’s physical, economic, human, and digital connectivity and will attempt to discover opportunities and challenges for the region to manage its common spaces.