Sushma to address 'Delhi Dialogue'

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will address the ninth edition of Delhi Dialogue, the premier annual track 1.5 event to discuss politico-security, economic and socio-cultural engagement between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) here on Tuesday.

"The ninth edition of Delhi Dialogue is scheduled to take place in New Delhi on July 4-5," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

"The theme for Delhi Dialogue 9 is 'Asean-India Relations: Charting the Course for the Next 25 Years'," it stated.

"Political leaders, policy makers, senior officials, diplomats, business leaders, think tanks and academicians from both sides would be participating in the discussions."

This year's dialogue is being organised by the External Affairs Ministry in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), industry body Ficci, Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), Singapore, SAEA Group Research, Singapore, Economic Research Institute for Asean and East Asia (ERIA), Jakarta, Institute of Strategic and International Studies, Malaysia, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) and Asean-India Centre.

It is supported by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), CII, Assocham, All India Association of Industries (AIAI), Mumbai, and Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Kolkata.

"The Ministerial Session to be held on July 4, would be hosted by Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External Affairs," the statement said.

It said those participating in the session will be Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam Pham Binh Minh, Union Minister, Ministry of the Office of the State Counsellor of Myanmar U Kyaw Tint Swe, and Deputy Secretary-General for Asean Political-Security Community Department, Asean Secretariat, Hirubalan V.P.

V.K. Singh will also be participating in the panel discussion of the ministerial session titled "Waters of Asia: Cultural, Social and Political Ties" along with Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs of Singapore Maliki Osman, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Virasakdi Futrakul, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Laos Sengphet Houngboungnuang, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Brunei Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof, and Advisor to the Royal Government of Cambodia Sok Siphana.

The business and academic session will be held parallel to each other following a joint inaugural session on July 5.

The joint inaugural session will be addressed by Preeti Saran, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, as well as by the Presidents of Ficci, CII, Assocham, ICC, AIAI and Vice President of ORF.

"The academic session, organised by ORF, would feature panel discussions on the following themes: Regional Geopolitics: Great Power Politics in the Asia-Pacific; New Connectivity Paradigms in the Asia-Pacific; Technology, Innovation and Big Data; and Socio-Cultural Engagement and Diaspora Links," the statement said.

--IANS

ab/pgh/nir