From February 4th to 10th, New Delhi hosted meetings between Russian and Indian experts in the fields of research, expertise in high latitude issues and educational initiatives implementation.

The visit agenda addressed the main challenges in Russian-Indian cooperation in the Arctic including environmental safety problems, the development of new transport and logistics routes, the influence of China on international cooperation in the Arctic, and the exploration of the Russia-India-China trilateral format. Additionally, it focused on the transfer of scientific and expert knowledge from Russia to the international arena, and the promotion of Russian scientists’ accomplishments in order to enhance understanding, mitigate the impacts of climate change and ensure the smooth operation of global trade during international crises.

During the visit, expert meetings and thematic sessions were held at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, NatStrat Center for Strategic Security Studies, the National Maritime Foundation, Observer Research Foundation, the Indian Council of World Affairs, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and India’s Science and Geopolitics of Arctic and Antarctic SaGAA.

As a result, the sides agreed to develop and strengthen scientific and expert dialogue on high latitude issues, exchange proposals for organizing study visits and short-term exchanges involving international representatives, promote further development of publications to increase knowledge about key trends and processes in the Russian Arctic and assist in the development of educational modules on Arctic topics.

The impetus for the development of new areas of cooperation came from the findings of a previous scientific and expert event, conducted in June 2023. The event, supported by the Gorchakov Fund, was devoted to the problems and prospects for business, educational and scientific exchanges between Russia and India in the European part of the Russian Arctic.

The event was held under the auspices and with the support of the North European Open Science and Education Consortium.