India and Russia held meet over current global challenges

NEW DELHI: Top think-tanks of India and Russia for the first time ever held brainstorming sessions in Moscow this week to discuss current global challenges including threats from growing extremism and radicalization and explored measures to strengthen bilateral strategic partnership.

The think-tanks Summit that also discussed key transport corridors that would link India and Russia saw participation from top Russian officials including Sergei Glazyev, Advisor to President Vladimir Putin and Igor Morgulov, Deputy Foreign Minister besides hosts of top academicians and researchers.

The other key issues on the agenda included counter-terrorism, situation in Afghanistan and way forward, cooperation in Central Asia and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The role of Russia in Asia amid rise and ambitions of China was another topic that was on the agenda of the dialogue.

The Indian participants included Nalin Surie, Director General of Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) and former Ambassador to China & UK, Jayant Prasad, Director General of Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses and former envoy to Afghanistan and Nepal besides officials of Ministry of External Affairs, diplomats and senior academicians and researcher from a slew of think tanks in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

The meet was jointly organized by MEA, ICWA and MGIMO, which is the Moscow State Institute for International Relations. The objective is to institutionalize such meets on an annual basis.