On November 11, 2025, New Delhi hosted the Fourth India-Russia Heads of Think-Tanks (HoTT) Forum, jointly organized by MGIMO University of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA). The event aimed to coordinate Track II efforts and identify areas for joint work to advance bilateral relations.
The forum opened with welcoming remarks from Maxim Suchkov, Director of the Institute for International Studies (IIS) at MGIMO, and Nutan Kapur Mahawar, Acting Director General of ICWA. Russia’s Ambassador to India and RIAC member Denis Alipov took part in the opening ceremony. India’s official position on Track II efforts and joint work was presented by Mayank Singh, Deputy Director of the Eurasia Division at India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
Speakers underscored the continued importance of the “specially privileged strategic partnership” between Russia and India amid global shifts and the rise of new alliances. They also noted a difference in priorities: Russia places strong emphasis on multilateral macro-regional formats like BRICS, while India focuses more on cooperation within its immediate region.
On November 11, 2025, New Delhi hosted the Fourth India-Russia Heads of Think-Tanks (HoTT) Forum, jointly organized by MGIMO University of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA). The event aimed to coordinate Track II efforts and identify areas for joint work to advance bilateral relations.
The forum opened with welcoming remarks from Maxim Suchkov, Director of the Institute for International Studies (IIS) at MGIMO, and Nutan Kapur Mahawar, Acting Director General of ICWA. Russia’s Ambassador to India and RIAC member Denis Alipov took part in the opening ceremony. India’s official position on Track II efforts and joint work was presented by Mayank Singh, Deputy Director of the Eurasia Division at India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
Speakers underscored the continued importance of the “specially privileged strategic partnership” between Russia and India amid global shifts and the rise of new alliances. They also noted a difference in priorities: Russia places strong emphasis on multilateral macro-regional formats like BRICS, while India focuses more on cooperation within its immediate region.
The conference featured three sessions.
Session I: “Multipolarity Amid Geopolitical Turbulence: Perspectives from Moscow and New Delhi,” addressed core questions about the international system—from the current state of the world order to global challenges that continue to shape regional and global development. Speakers also discussed the qualities great powers must retain to maintain their status today.
Speakers included: Professor Sanjay Pandey of the Center for Russian and Central Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University; Maxim Suchkov, Director of IIS MGIMO; ICWA Senior Research Fellow Sanjeev Kumar; Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Oriental Studies, RAS, and RIAC member Lidia Kulik; and ICWA Research Fellow Himani Pant.
In his remarks, Maxim Suchkov pointed to three major crises that hinder efforts to reduce global conflict: a crisis of ideas, a crisis of leadership, and a crisis of human capital.
Session II: “An Agenda for Stability and Prosperity in Eurasia: Shared Approaches,” examined how Moscow and New Delhi define the Eurasian region. Their geographic interpretations differ considerably, making it harder to form a unified vision for aligning regional development strategies. Professor Rajan Kumar of Jawaharlal Nehru University noted that India usually views Eurasia as consisting mainly of Russia, Belarus, and the Central Asian states—more narrowly than some Russian concepts. Still, Indian experts stressed that both countries share an understanding of the need to maintain peace and stability across the continent, avoid regional hegemonies, and respect the interests of smaller states.
Speakers included: IIS Deputy Director and MGIMO Associate Professor Irina Bolgova; ICWA Senior Research Fellow Ather Zafar; RIAC Head of the Asia and Eurasia Program Yulia Melnikova; and ICWA Research Fellow Anvesha Ghosh.
Session III: “The Indo-Pacific and Maritime Security.”
Speakers included: Vasily Kashin, Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics and RIAC member; Abhay Kumar Singh from the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses; Pavel Gudev, Head of the U.S. and Canada Policy in the World Ocean Research Group at IMEMO RAS; and ICWA Research Fellow Pragya Pandey.
The sessions were moderated by Ajay Bisaria, former Indian Ambassador to Canada, Pakistan, Poland, and Lithuania and ORF Distinguished Fellow, IIS Director Maxim Suchkov, and Sarabjit S. Parmar, Distinguished Fellow at India’s Society for Strategic and Defense Research.
Regular engagement between leading Russian and Indian analytical centers continues to be highly productive. These meetings allow experts not only to exchange views on key issues but also to explore new opportunities for cooperation, launch joint projects, and deepen expertise on key topics that shape the bilateral and multilateral agendas of both countries. The next forum will be held in Moscow next year.
