#Armenia and #India - The New Frontiers #Partnership | #turkey #azerbaijan #defence #russia

[Applause] [Music] Observer Research Foundation welcome to Mr thanks for accepting the interview request uh Armenia and India uh share as well as our two people share a long history of amicable ties and cultural uh exchange as far as I am aware this is your first visit to Armenia have you already noticed any commonalities can our uh cultural ties help to develop a new modern type of relationship between our countries you know I'm here for the first time and thank you for having me on the on the show for me what was remarkable about my visit this time was the similarity uh I see a a community-based society I see celebrations I see families having dinners together uh I see a sense of community in this country which is um deep similar to uh where I come from from from India um very similar social uh norms and and social uh values as well uh deeply um celebratory people we we like to celebrate the moment irres of what's happening around us and uh of course a strong sense of our own culture religion identity as well so that's very similar traits across India and Armenia but but what is um uh uh even more um striking to me is um the fact that uh the the the energy you see in India uh today which is that we want to build a nation we are finally at that moment when we can shape our future when we are going to invest in a better tomorrow you see a certain energy in India which is also visible in Armenia and I asked my colleagues and friends here why and they said because this is uh the time when Armenia is re discovering its modern identity post the Revolution and post uh these years uh Armenia is also scripting its own sense of space in the world place in the world and I think this is the right time for us old friends to ReDiscover each other and build a modern relationship you are the president of Observer Research Foundation that holds the annual Vena dialogue in New Delhi attended by renowned dignitaries diplomats and experts we have noticed already uh armenia's um active participation in the Forum uh with delegations headed by our foreign affairs minister labor and social affairs minister also the representatives of military and think tanks how do you see the role of think tanks uh at the age of fractured uh and conflict stricken International System they're vital you know when um formal institutions are not being able to perform when they are divided by politics when they are polarized by ideology we will have to find other means of engagement uh people will have to find new ways of talking to each other of finding areas where they can collaborate finding issues that they must cooperate on uh building alliances Partnerships even uh lose quazi Arrangements that can respond to the challenges and opportunities that abound today there are plenty of them both challenges and opportunities so for us um it is vital as a think tank out of India uh as India grows as India builds its own uh identity and place in the world its role in the world that we deepen our engagement with all parts of the society from all parts of the world India at $4 trillion is engaging robustly with literally the entire world at $1 trillion it'll be much deeper engagement and so our requirement of knowing everyone and knowing every place and every culture and every society is going to become important and and governments are not going to do it by themselves we will have to have civil society and think tanks and academic institutions play a role similarly when we have to build coalitions to respond to certain challenges um governments who don't talk to each other will find it impossible we'll again have to find other institutions to do it so we'll require think tanks and Academia to do to step in again I think in this deeply divided world uh the role of think tanks and Academia is more important than ever uh I call it uh perhaps the most important decade for uh think tanks and and research institutions India is a first growing economy and it is perceived as an emerging player on the global stage how would be uh the role the nature of India's role in the New World Order and how do Indians perceive themselves in this sense look I think we can take a few lessons from the recent past to try and assess what kind of a big Power would IND be what would India's role be in the world I think one of the uh examples you can take is from its G20 presidency in the G20 presidency India uh proposed uh the ethic of the of the grouping uh to be vasuda kumuk which means the world is one family that was the essence of the Indian presidency that we are all one family so whatever we decide as G20 Nations has to actually be in consonance with the ethic that the whole world has to be considered before any decisions are made so the the the Indian Prime Minister hosted a summit of 125 leaders from the global South had conversations with them and only after that conversation did he talk to his counterparts at the G20 once the G20 presidency ended with the Delhi Summit he again called back the leaders of the 125 countries and brief them on the progress on what they had discussed in the beginning and where they have reached towards the end what what are they going to be doing in the days ahead so I think uh Co Global Partnerships with the accent on the development requirements of the global South is certainly one key Indian priority as it emerges in the world stage and it will continue to push for the agenda that allows development to reach everyone energy security for all jobs and prosperity for each of us and of course in India's presidency and thereafter in its own it has decided definitely to move towards a women L development model a women L growth model where we are not um looking at just uh the bare minimum efforts but actually unleashing the entrepreneurship and Leadership of women to lead the world and all of us and that is the change that India is proposing the second example would be its technology and digital progress we have created solutions that that allow Financial inclusion at scale from digital banking to digital payments to digital Investments to digital insurances India is a tech enabled Tech powered nation and India is making this available to everyone we have opened up the intellectual we have a open architecture which allows anyone from from uh countries in Africa to Asia to other parts of the world to embrace these Solutions make make them and change them to meet their own requirements and neutralize them we are not building businesses on the solutions we are building entrepreneur ship on access so we are giving everyone technology access that allows businesses to thrive and in this context can we consider the increasing interest from the Indian side toward south Caucasus many many reasons why we should be interested in South caucuses U the most important one being because uh we were always connected as people for a very very long time and it's good to ReDiscover each other like I mentioned in the very beginning but uh on a on a 21st century more contemporary basis uh I think there are three or four important aspects that allow and that drive this relationship the first of course is uh India's determination to be connected to uh the largest parts of uraia and Europe and uh um we have been working with Partners in Iran we've been working with Russia now we are working under the ime arrangement with Europe and America and Middle East India is going to be investing in building robust and resilient connectivity uh to U engage with its Partners in Central Asia in Middle East in Europe and of course uh in Eurasia uh and for that uh South caucuses are an essential uh part of that equation um I was just flying into your country from Dubai yesterday and for nearly 2 hours I was flying over Iran for 1 and a half hours 40 minutes now India is already building connectivity with Iran and it's uh logical to see that connectivity to be extended into Armenia Georgia and you know to serve this part of the world as well so I think connectivity is Big trade and commerce and and and economics will always Define any future architecture and I think we are there uh then of course you have the Dig The Innovation and digital societies that can really Define future Partnerships Armenia is a very strong Innovation economy it is for its population numbers uh the number of uh International Solutions diaspora has produced are remarkable so Armenia and its diaspora can be key Partners to India's digital future uh we have the size and the population numbers uh we have the Innovation hubs like Bangalore like Hyderabad like Delhi and its surroundings like Bombay um and you guys have the The Innovation Talent now combine these two Innovation Talent Innovation hubs and size of the market and you can have a winning combination so I think Armenia India partnership in digital is again going to be uh extremely important and and finally I think U we also have to start thinking about the food security climate and and uh energy Transitions and here again um you know there is a lot of conversations that we can have together um India has a remarkable uh story of solar energy to share Armenia is thinking of this sector very seriously for example uh nuclear is another area you know you have a nuclear plant which is going to be in transition soon so I think between energy climate digital and Technology and connectivity we have three very important and immediate needs to engage with South caucus especially Armenia Armenia is currently under goinging a period of societal transformation and reform while dealing with external security threats and aggression uh what is your assessment of this transformation Mr San look I think it's uh it's happening and it is palpable you can sense it you can sense that this is a society in transition it is a society that is defining itself in its own vocabulary through its own grammar and it is freeing itself from the shackles of the past uh something that most of us have had to do in our own Journeys uh this is armenia's decade of self-discovery in some ways now of course it is Complicated by the fact that you have a neighborhood that is not very conducive to uh domestic uh stability uh you have disruptive actor or disruptive actions on the border and U we will have to of course uh strengthen and support uh uh the region to find a durable and Lasting uh uh peace and and I think the world Community must be invested in this it cannot be ignored this this particular challenge should not be ignored uh but uh all in all I think despite the challenges on the water and um uh the requirement for the world to find a just lasting solution um irrespective I think Armenia is on its way Armenia uh cannot be denied it will Define itself for the future it will Define its new Social and national identity it will create economic and and political decisions that suit its own needs and people and and I think this is an exciting time to be partnering with Armenia and there has been a tremendous outward Trend in the relations between Armenia and India over the past few years there are areas where we can notice increasing exchange cooperation and growing ties uh what do you think both sides can do to bring our countries closer in terms of business and trade um as well as scientific cooperation and if there are any areas uh where we can uh anticipate any further progress Mr s look I think uh first we should be seriously thinking about a direct flight between Armenia and India we should have a Delhi aravan flight and we should have it every day and we should make sure that the number of tourists that are going around in your neighborhood from India come to Armenia Armenia is a place to visit I'm I I am convinced that we should be promoting Armenia as a destination for our tourists for in fact yesterday I was at a hotel and I saw a big fat Indian wedding being planned uh in Armenia it should be a wedding destination it should be a tourist destination it should be a student destination which I'm told it is increasingly becoming the numbers are growing of our students coming here but most importantly uh it is a a natural um business partner for India in many sectors uh biosciences and Pharma being one of them like I mentioned technology and and Innovation being another one of them uh defense security and defense sector again something that we could really be working on Armenia has the the the advantages of the uh knowledge it has gained from the Soviet era and uh uh the the nimbleness of a modern western style society that can move fast and leverage the Enterprise of its individuals so you have best of both the worlds and and I think we should be literally um invested in each other now and we should like I said make sure that connection is easy information is easy and conversations are easy between our people and for you what should become the formula for realizing the Fest potential of bilateral relations between Armenia and India for me we have to be engaged more deeply in each other's uh places spaces where ideas are made nations are built on ideas not on bricks and motar we should be part of each other's ideas making spaces think tanks like ours should be in your country think tranks from your country should be in my country we have to be ideating for our future together that is the best way of of working together is by building a future together you should become co- Architects and co-owners of the future you shape so ideas matter and I'm here because I want to make Armenia a big Hub of where we produce ideas along with our partners in this lovely country Mr s you give lectures in yavan what are their main messages main messages uh that this is the decade where our relationship will be defined let's make it ambitious let's make it rich and let's make it relevant not only for the two of us but for the world together we can find solutions for the world we can find solutions that are useful and accessible to many people both in our regions but also around around the world that's the first message let's work together for the world let's uh respond to the challenges and the crisis we are confronting today by by deepening our engagement and deepening our understanding of both our individual societies but also of those who we have we need to partner with and the third and most importantly is that uh uh we must ReDiscover each other as people we have forgotten uh our old ties We Now read about it in story books in in in poetry in in art that I saw in your Museum they tell us the story of our old ties it is time that we build a 21st century uh relationship so time for India and Armenia it is time for a 21st Century Modern Day relationship which is boundless and has plentiful opportunities for all thanks for the intervie Mr San thank you so much [Music]

Channel: Observer Research Foundation

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Keywords: Observer Research Foundation, ORF, ORF videos, ORF interviews, ORF online, india, armenia, armenia country, armenia india, armenia india relations, armenia india defence deal, armenia india defence deal reaction, india armenia, india armenia defence deal, india armenica defence deal reatcion, india armenia relations explained by Samir Saran, samir saran, india armenia partnership, armenia india partnership, what is india armenia deal?, india armenia deal

Id: gyPCsWVfOh0

Length: 16min 22sec (982 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 19 2024