Ankara conference to focus on India-Turkiye ties
New Delhi : Experts from leading think tanks of India and Turkiye are set to exchange perspectives to enhance mutual understanding and knowledge at a two-day conference that begins in Ankara on February 26.
The Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) based in Ankara, and the International Dialogue and Diplomacy Foundation (IDDF) in New Delhi are jointly organizing the event.
Prominent think tanks, experts and scholars of strategic affairs will gather for the two days' conference to hold a comprehensive discussion on India-Turkiye relations in the changing global and regional order, the International Diplomacy and Dialogue Foundation announced.
This is the first-ever dialogue in several years when many Indian and Turkish scholars, diplomats, experts from think tanks, and renowned academics are coming together to exchange their views and perspectives on global and regional issues and reshape bilateral ties, the IDDF observed.
Director of New Delhi-based IDDF Research Foundation, Prof Aftab Kamal Pasha, along with eminent experts C Raja Mohan, Advisor at the Centre for Strategic and Defence Research, Ambassador Anil Trigunayat, former Indian Ambassador to Libya and Jordan, Prof Mohammad Gulrez, former Vice Chancellor, Aligarh Muslim University, Manish Chand, Prasanta Kumar Pradhan (Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis), Fazzurrahman Siddiqi (Indian Council of World Affairs), Nandan Unnikrishnan and Kabir Taneja (Observer Research Foundation) are among the Indian speakers invited by the Turkish Think Tank SETA Vakfi, according to the IDDF.
Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Berris Ekinci and the Indian Ambassador in Turkiye, Muktesh K Pardeshi is set to deliver the keynote address.
The Embassy of India in Ankara as an official partner of the event.
The two countries have seen substantial changes in their economic and strategic profiles, allowing them to reimagine their bilateral relations beyond the rigidities of the Cold War.
This gathering presents an invaluable opportunity for the exchange of ideas and to carry forward further, taking to new heights, as well as frank dialogue and collaboration between two nations' scholars and institutions.
It is expected that the Indian delegation will be received by several prominent Turkish institutions, diplomats, and ministers.
Given the history of the Cold War, the two countries' relations have evolved in a more complex context in which they shared deep historical and cultural bonds restricted by the Cold War fault lines.
Under the leadership of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the countries have managed to advance bilateral trade from USD 6 billion in 2014 to USD 14 billion in 2023, setting aside political differences.
This shows the scope of opportunities for cooperation and partnership that needs a broader consultation among all stakeholders, from diplomacy to think tanks to the trade and technology players. Turkish and Indian companies have been welcomed to invest and undertake joint ventures in all sectors.
As per the IDDF, the conference aims to open a forum for sustained dialogue between Indian and Turkish experts, institutions, and sector representatives to explore shared interests and perspectives in their regional and global relations and explore common views on international security and governance, including in the areas of cyber security, technology, artificial intelligence, UNSC reforms, and climate change.
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