India and Bangladesh share a long history of enduring economic partnership and bi-lateral development. The relationship between the two countries has been one based on mutual trust and cooperation. Our multi-faceted economic relations encompass trade, credit arrangements, soft transit facilities and joint ventures in energy and connectivity. Click here to read full Paper
On 04 December 2015, the VIF invited Hari Bansh Jha, Professor of Economics, Nepal’s Tribhuvan’s University for an interaction on the current political uprising in Nepal and its implications, especially for India. Prof. Jha presented an insightful analysis of how systemically over the years the government of Nepal through a series of discriminatory measures has marginaslised the Madeshi population (people settled in the Terai region of Nepal), a problem of growing magnitude that has also strained India-Nepal bilateral relations to some extent in recent months.
1. A VIF-CII delegation headed by Gen. NC Vij and comprising of Lt. Gen Ravi Sawhney, Mr. CD Sahay, Ambassador Alok Prasad, Mr. Manish Mohan, Regional Director International for South and Central Asia of CII AND Mr. Pankaj Mohan, Vice president KEC Ltd. visited Sri Lanka from 7-10 December 2015. During the visit the delegation met a large number of experts, political and economic analysts invited by the Pathfinder Foundation, representatives of the Tamil community, and senior members of the Buddhist mahasangha.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan H.E. Hekmat Karzai, as part of his recent visit to India, held a broad ranging interaction with members of the VIF faculty on 19 November 2015.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established in 1985 with the prime objective of accelerating economic and social development among member states through joint actions in mutually agreed areas of cooperation.
Even as Bangladesh continues to face the worst political turmoil in its history, a Round Table Discussion was held at the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) on April 7th, 2015 to discuss the current political situation in Bangladesh. The interaction, a bilateral exercise between the VIF and the Bangladesh Institute for Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS), encapsulated the broad spectrum of political and security challenges confronting Bangladesh today and their implications for the bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh.
Amidst growing uncertainties about Afghanistan’s future, the VIF hosted the Chief Executive Officer of the national unity government in Afghanistan His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Abdullah to deliberate upon a wide spectrum of issues, including, among others, the post drawdown scenarios in Afghanistan, the ongoing efforts towards peace and reconciliation among various warring factions, the need for capacity-building by Afghanistan’s national army, the Taliban’s potential resurrection, the role of regional actors in Afghanistan, and India’s continued relevance in Afghanistan.
A trilateral conference on the theme of “China, India, UK and Afghanistan- A partnership for Stability” was organized at the VIF premises from 02 to 05 March 2015. The main objective of the deliberations was to find ways and means of cooperation amongst the regional powers in order to bring peace, stability and prosperity to Afghanistan. The Royal United Services Institute, UK delegation was led by Prof. Malcolm Chalmers and included Mr. Raffaello Pantucci and Edward Schwark and Ms Emily Winterbotham. The Chinese delegation was represented by Senior Colonel (Retd) Bai Zonglin, Dr.
Preface Terrorism has been synonymous with Pakistan for years. Post 9/11, Pakistan had an opportunity to make a break with its use of jihadist terrorism as an instrument of state policy. But despite all the international pressure and notwithstanding all its claims of becoming a frontline partner in the Global War on Terror, Pakistan continued to support and provide sanctuary to jihadists, especially those who escaped the US-led offensive in Afghanistan.
Experts and scholars from Pathfinder Foundation, Sri Lanka and members of VIF Faculty discussed a broad range of bilateral issues between India and Sri Lanka on 09 December 2014. The Sri Lankan team was led by Amb. Bernard Goonetilleke, Chairman, and consisted of two other scholars, Dr. VK Valsan and Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy. General NC Vij, Director, VIF, led the VIF’s battery of experts, including, among others, Lt Gen Ravi Sawhney, Amb RS Kalha, Amb TCA Rangachari, Mr CD Sahay, and Lt Gen Ata Hasnain.