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.
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/.
