The First IISS - Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Foreign Policy Dialogue took place on Monday, 5 February 2007 at the IISS, London. This important and timely one-day seminar brought together senior officials and experts from India and the UK. This was the first time that the MEA engaged directly with an international think tank.
The Keynote Address was delivered by the leader of the MEA delegation, HE Ambassador Arif S Khan, Additional Secretary (Public Diplomacy), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. This was followed by an Address by Mr Adam Thomson, Director, South Asia and Afghanistan, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UK.
The first session on ‘Growing Asian Economies: Challenges & Opportunities’ examined the unprecedented simultaneous rise of two economies in Asia with a focus on global energy and environmental issues; India’s infrastructure, agricultural and manufacturing challenges and opportunities; and prospects for sustained economic growth. The session was chaired by Sir Hilary Synnott, IISS Consulting Senior Fellow for South Asia & the Gulf. Presentations were made by Professor Pulin B Nayak, Director of the Delhi School of Economics and by Mr Bill Emmott, former Editor of The Economist.
The second session on ‘Terrorism & Transnational Security Challenges in South Asia’ examined security challenges and threats including terrorism in the subcontinent. Presentations were made by Dr C Raja Mohan, Strategic Affairs Editor of the Indian Express and Sir Hilary Synnott, IISS Consulting Senior Fellow for South Asia & the Gulf. The session was chaired by Mr Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, IISS Research Fellow for South Asia.
The third session focused on ‘UK-India Partnership in a Global Perspective’, and examined the challenges and prospects for UK-India cooperation with special emphasis on economic and political issues. This was chaired by Dr Patrick Cronin, IISS Director of Studies, with presentations by Ambassador M K Rasgotra, Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board, Prime Minister’s Office, Government of India and Professor James Manor of the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex.
A policy-orientated discussion took place at the end of the presentations. The conference dinner that evening at IISS was sponsored by Cairn Energy PLC, at which Mr. Philip Tracy, Engineering and Operations Director, Cairn Energy PLC, spoke on Cairn Energy’s long-standing experiences in India.
The Second MEA-IISS Foreign Policy Dialogue is expected to take place in New Delhi later this year.
A brief on the seminar will be available shortly. Transcripts of the Opening Addresses, the Agenda and list of the MEA delegation are attached.
