On 20 March, the main event of the Northern Forum-India programme - the business and scientific forum "Uniting North and South for Sustainable Development" - began in New Delhi, India.
The event was opened by Arvind Gupta, Director of the Vivekananda International Foundation, and Vladimir Vasilev, Executive Director of the Northern Forum.
Keynote speeches were delivered by India's Deputy National Security Advisor, Ambassador Pavan Kapoor, and the Director of the Department of European Problems, Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry, Vladislav Maslennikov, with presentations by the Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Ambassador Kanwal Sibal, and the Permanent Representative of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) in the Far East Federal District, Kim Borisov.
In the session on scientific cooperation, the main challenges of the changing world were discussed. Speakers shared their experiences of practical interaction and promising areas of joint work. It was noted that the level of scientific cooperation between Russia and India is gradually increasing, but it is necessary to increase the pace, especially in the field of climate change.
A special session was also held with the participation of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of India Denis Alipov, Indian Ambassador to Russia Vinay Kumar and Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of India Dr. M. Ravichandran. At the end of the session, a new book by the Vivekananda International Foundation "The Evolution of India's Polar Policy" was launched.
The final session of the forum discussed geopolitics, new forms and opportunities for international co-operation. The moderator was Pankaj Saran, who was India's Ambassador to Russia. Speakers: R Admiral TVN Prasanna, Secretary of the National Security Council of the Government of India, Maxim Dankin, Director General of PORA, Captain Anurag Bisen from the Vivekananda Foundation, Vadim Mamontov, Founder and CEO of RussiaDiscovery, Indraraj Vanraj Dodiya, Director of Dodiya Enterprises, Maria Lagutina, Professor at St. Petersburg State University, Dr. Jawahar Bhagwat, Associate Professor at Northern (Arctic) Federal University, Maxim Gutenyev, Associate Professor at South Ural State University.
The Northern Forum and the Project Office for Arctic Development (PORA) Expert Center signed memoranda with the Vivekananda International Foundation.
It must be said that the Forum was a successful event thanks to the active work of the large Northern Forum team, the support of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian Embassy, Rossotrudnichestvo and Russian House, as well as the Vivekananda International Foundation, Indraprastha Engineering College, Jawaharlal Nehru University and many others who sincerely tried to help.
Apart from the memoranda mentioned above, memoranda were also signed between the Russian Union of Travel Industry with the Network of Indian MICE Agents (NIMA) and the Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI). On the Russian side, the memoranda were signed by Vadim Mamontov, founder and head of RussiaDiscovery.
On the last day of the delegation's work in India, a memorandum was also signed between the Northern Forum and the Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology.
The exhibition of children's drawings on Northern Forum projects initiated by the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Yugra "Red Book through the eyes of children" and "We are responsible for those we have tamed" caused a real sensation.
The head of the projects is Olga Stytsyuk, the laureate of the Walter Hickel Medal, a teacher at the Talinskaya secondary school in Yugra. The exhibition was greeted with enthusiasm everywhere, people took part in the master classes with pleasure, the "Tree of Friendship" was built with enthusiasm.
The purpose of the Forum is to discuss opportunities for cooperation between the Northern Forum and regions, organizations of India, as well as other countries interested in interaction with the northern and Arctic territories. All necessary information is available on the website: http://nf-indiaforum.ru/.
