Udaipur, March 26 (IANS) Think-tank Usanas Foundation organised its second annual flagship conference, the Maharana Pratap Annual Geopolitics Dialogue (MPAGD) from March 23-25 in Rajasthan’s Udaipur.
The conference was co-hosted by the Ministry of External Affairs and India Narrative — a web-based think-tank.
The theme of the conference was ‘India’s Role in the Changing World Order’. Under this theme, brainstorming sessions were held on security, economic and diplomatic roadmap for India to navigate geopolitical shifts and reclaim its leadership role in the new world order.
The guests of honour included Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic, the first female President of Croatia, who highlighted the European Union’s position in the Russia-Ukraine war and spoke about India’s role in the changing world order.
Ambassador Naor Gilon, of Israel, spoke about strengthening civilisational connections and cementing the strategic partnership between India and Israel.
Ambassador Lakshmi Puri, Former Assistant Secretary General, UN, underlined how India has managed to maintain moral clarity on the Russia-Ukraine war and is adequately positioned to act as a mediator in resolving it.
Abhinav Pandya, Founder & CEO Usanas Foundation, highlighted that the MPAGD 2023 was a novel attempt that aimed at taking discussions on security challenges beyond Delhi as these affect every citizen of India in some capacity.
He stressed upon the need for India to explore its civilisational legacy and create its own narrative, contributing to world peace.
Mohammed Maliki, Ambassador of Morocco to India spoke about India-Morocco relations and the evolution of strategic partnership.
Ambassador Dimitrios Ioannou, Ambassador of Greece to India, highlighted how the world looks at India.
Cleo Paskal, Senior Fellow of the Washington-based Foundation For Defense of Democracies, gave a comprehensive presentation highlighting China’s penetration in the strategic Solomon Islands.
Clifford Smith, Washington Project Director at the Middle East Forum, shared his views on how global propaganda is taking shape in the US and how it is shaping perceptions in the society.
Oshrit Birvadker, Senior Fellow at The Jerusalem Institute of Strategy and Security (JISS) highlighted how both India and Israel can shape the Middle East through a developmental partnership.
She added that countries like Egypt could add considerable depth to the new Indo-Abrahamic block in the region.
Several eminent speakers reflected upon how India will play a significant role in the new world order by virtue of its civilisational strength, encapsulating the broad nature of geopolitical challenges which India needs to overcome in order to reclaim its rightful place of leadership in the changing world order.
Former Delhi Lt. Governor Tejendra Khanna highlighted how governments and societies should live in a harmonious manner in a highly diverse world.
Jonathan, First Secretary at the US Embassy joined the discussions along with eminent panelists from the corporate sector, the police force and researchers who debated how India is uniquely positioned to be a global force for good through the leadership of the G20.
Yana Mir and Sajid — young thinkers from Kashmir spoke about zero tolerance to violence in the valley.
–IANS
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