Background Note

Indo-Pacific’s strategic significance continues to grow and major countries worldwide are formulating new strategies to bolster their engagement with the region. The Northeast India, bordering Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, and Nepal, stands as a pivotal frontier in India’s broader eastward initiatives in the Indo-Pacific. It is in the Northeast that India’s two major foreign policy initiatives intersect namely ‘Neighbourhood First’ and ‘Act East’.

In this context, Asian Confluence is organising a round table discussion on the topic “Connecting the Dots: Indo-Pacific and the Northeast” on 3rd June 2024 at Guwahati, Assam, India. Through the exchange of ideas between policymakers, thought leaders, scholars, experts, civil society representatives, and media professionals, the roundtable aims to explore the ways and means to enhance economic, trade, physical, digital, and cultural connections between the Northeast and the broader Indo-Pacific.

Agenda:

11:00-11:25: Registration

11:30-13:30

Welcome Remarks: Mr Sabyasachi Dutta, Executive Director, Asian Confluence

Special Remarks: Dr Samudra Gupta Kashyap, Chancellor, Nagaland University

Moderated Roundtable Discussion

13:30: Networking Lunch

Venue: 6^th Floor, Executive Lounge, Vivanta Taj, Guwahati

Discussants: (not in particular order)

·      H.E Mr. Jigme Thinlye Namgyal, Consul General, Bhutan Consulate General, Guwahati

·      Maj Gen Alok Deb, Distinguished Fellow, Asian Confluence

·      Dr. Rouhin Deb, Chief Economist, Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Government of Assam

·      Dr Costas Laoutides, Associate Professor in International Relations, Deakin University, Australia

·      Dr Pradeep Taneja, Deputy Associate Dean, University of Melbourne

·      Prof. Jagannath Ambagudia, Campus Director, TISS, Guwahati

·      Dr Abhinandan Saikia, Dean, School of Social Science and Humanities, TISS, Guwahati

·      Ms. Ruchika Kuthari, Advisor, JAAP Enterprise

·      Dr Partha Das, Executive Member, Aaranyak

·      Dr Shubhrajeet Konwer, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Gauhati University

·      Dr Rubul Patgiri, Associate Professor, Gauhati University

·      Dr K. Yhome, Senior Fellow, Asian Confluence

·      Mr Jaideep Saikia, Terrorism and Conflict Analyst

·      Dr Bhaskar Jyoti Deka, Assistant Professor, Cotton University

·      Mr Sasanka Gupta Kashyap, PR Practitioner, Guwahati

·      Mr Tanuj Kumar Dhar, Senior Journalist, IANS

·      Prof Abhigyan Bhattacharjee, NEHU

·      Mr Kiran GSK, PhD Scholar, IIT Guwahati

Team Asian Confluence:

·      Mr Pradyut Das, Research & Program Associate 

·      Mr Saumik Dey, Administrative and Executive Assistant 

·      Ms Bidisha Deka, Research Intern