7th edition of Asia Economic Dialogue to be held in Pune from Feb 26 to 28

The 7th edition of Asia Economic Dialogue (AED) jointly organised by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Pune International Centre (PIC) will be held here from February 26 to 28. The three-day conference, on the theme 'Geoeconomics Beyond Globalisation: Tariffs, Technologies and Strategic Alignments', will take place at PIC's new campus in Pashan. More than 45 speakers, including academicians, policymakers and industry experts from India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Singapore, Kenya, Australia, Israel and Norway will participate in the 12-session international conference, with PIC president Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, delivering the opening remarks followed by a video address by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. A panel discussion on the conference theme will be chaired by AED convenor and former Ambassador Gautam Bambawale, while the valedictory address will be delivered by former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and chaired by PIC vice president Dr Vijay Kelkar. Addressing a press conference at the PIC campus here on Monday, Bambawale said several high-level sessions, including fireside chats and panel discussions, will be a highlight of AED 2026. He said the dialogue has seen improved global engagement over the years, adding that neighbourhood countries and the ''two big powers'' are key research focus areas for PIC. PIC director Dinanath Kholkar said the conference, for the first time, will include a session linking public health with economic development. AED 2026 will coincide with a Craft Expo and PIC's art and culture programme 'Palash' (Festival of Spring) to be held from February 27 to March 1 at the campus, featuring classical vocalist T M Krishna, he added. Dr Ajit Ranade, economist and Senior Fellow at PIC, said MEA partners with think tanks to organise Track 1.5 conferences in three domains, namely geopolitics, geotechnology and geoeconomics. Under this framework, PIC hosts the geoeconomics conference, he said, adding the PIC aims to emerge as a globally recognised think tank. On Day 2, panel discussions will be held on Dual Intelligence, Public Health and Economic Development, High Technology in Strategic Defence, Technology for Defence Manufacturing and the India+Asia Chip Corridor. A fireside chat with Baba Kalyani, managing director of Bharat Forge, is also scheduled. On the final day, discussions will focus on global trade and maritime geoeconomics in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The organisers said AED 2026 aims to bring together policymakers, diplomats, scholars, industry leaders and strategic experts to deliberate on key regional and global economic and strategic issues.