PM Modi kickstarts 7th edition of Raisina 2022 dialogue

New Delhi [India], April 25 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday kickstarted the 7th edition of the annual Raisina Dialogue where ideas defining the emerging global realities, challenges, and solutions will be discussed.
The Raisina Dialogue, which is being held between April 25 and April 27, is India's flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics. It is a forum that brings together India's friends and partners-seeking common ground where there are divergences and encouraging further collaboration in areas of convergence.
Hosted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, the Dialogue, since its inception in 2016, has been committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community.
Every year, leaders in politics, business, media, and civil society converge in New Delhi to discuss the state of the world and explore opportunities for cooperation on a wide range of contemporary matters.
This year, participants from about 100 countries have gathered at this ideas arena to share their unique perspectives, concerns, and experiences that are essential for charting important pathways, building consensus, and strengthening communities for our common future.
This dialogue, a joint endeavor between the Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation, has become a venue for conversations among global leaders and thinkers across government, business, media, civil society, and academia.
The theme for this year's Raisina Dialogue, " Terra Nova: Impassioned, Impatient, and Imperilled," seeks to interrogate the responses to all three watersheds.
India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the Raisina Dialogue, since 2016, has emerged as a purposive platform to discuss pressing geopolitical issues of our times.
At the event, Ursula von der Leyen, President of, European Commission, said criticized the attack by Russia on Ukraine, saying it is against "core principles of UN Charter".
Leyen said the core principles that underpin the peace and security across the world are at "stake". In Asia as well as in Europe, she said, the images coming from Russia's attack on Ukraine have shocked the world.
Referring to her visit two weeks ago in Ukraine, Leyen said "I saw with my own eyes, the bodies lined up on the ground. I saw the mass graves. I saw the scars of bombs on schools, residential houses, and hospitals. These are severe violations of international law".
"Targeting and killing innocent civilians, rejoin borders by force, subjugating the will of free people goes against the core principles enshrined in the UN Charter," Leyen said.
In Europe, she later mentioned, "We see Russia's aggression as a direct threat to our security. We will make sure that the unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine will be a strategic failure. This is why we are doing what we can to help Ukraine to fight for freedom. This is why we need to impose massive sharp and effective sanctions."
Leyen later urged all members of the international community to support the efforts of the European Union for lasting peace.
She further said "Russia and China have a pact" and it seems declared that the friendship between the two countries has "no limits".
"They are no forbidden areas of cooperation. This was in February this year. And then, invasion of Ukraine followed," Leyen said.
The President of the European Commission asked "what can be expected from the new International relations that both have called for".
Noting that it is the "final moment" and the "decisions in these days will shape decades to come", she said: "Our response to Russia's aggression today will decide the future of both the international system and the global economy."
She said, "What happened in Ukraine will have an impact on the Indo-Pacific region. It already has".
"Rising prices of grain, energy, and fertilizers as a direct result of Putin's (Russian President Vladimir Putin) war of choice. Thus the outcome of the war," She said.
"We are not only determined the future of Europe but also deeply affected the Indo-Pacific region and the rest of the world," said the President of the European Commission.
"For the Indo-Pacific region, it is as important as for Europe, the borders are respected, and the fears of influence are rejected. We want a positive vision for a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region as this region is home to half of the world's population and 60 percent of the global GDP (Gross Domestic Product)," She said.
"Our vision is that the Indo-Pacific region remains free and open, and becomes more interconnected, prosperous, secure, and resilient."
To this end, she said, we will deepen our engagements with our partners in the region, including Asia.