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INDIA-WEST ASIA DIALOGUE 2025
Building Partnership for a Future-Ready World
Beyond trade and technology, the financial linkages between India and West Asia are deepening at an unprecedented pace. Gulf sovereign wealth funds and family offices are increasingly looking at India not just as a destination for infrastructure or energy investments, but as a partner in shaping capital markets, green finance, and fintech innovation. India’s surge in retail participation and appdriven trading complements the Gulf’s capital surplus, opening possibilities for joint investment platforms, cross-border listings, and co-financing of large-scale projects. This emerging financial architecture is fast becoming as strategic as trade corridors, embedding capital markets into the core of India–West Asia cooperation.
This is where The GeoEconomic Hub @ CIEU finds its purpose. As the flagship platform of the New Delhi–based Council for International Economic Understanding (CIEU), the GeoEconomic Hub is designed to foster structured dialogue at the intersection of trade, technology, and transformation. It seeks to move beyond traditional diplomacy and bring together a new coalition of actors— startup founders and sovereign funds, green energy innovators and central bankers, AI ethicists and trade negotiators—around a shared agenda of shaping a rules-based, innovation-friendly, and climate-aligned global economic order.
The West Asia Dialogue, proposed under this platform, is not a one-off event. It is envisioned as a track of structured engagement that connects policymakers with technologists, aligns capital with ideas, and bridges geographies through shared priorities. Its choice of venue—Dubai—is deliberate. The UAE, and particularly Dubai, has positioned itself as a neutral convening power, with strategic access to Africa, Asia, and Europe, and the credibility to engage constructively across political divides.
The West Asia Dialogue, proposed under this platform, is not a one-off event. It is envisioned as a track of structured engagement that connects policymakers with technologists, aligns capital with ideas, and bridges geographies through shared priorities. Its choice of venue—Dubai—is deliberate. The UAE, and particularly Dubai, has positioned itself as a neutral convening power, with strategic access to Africa, Asia, and Europe, and the credibility to engage constructively across political divides.
Expected Outcomes
The Dialogue is designed not only to convene,but to catalyse. It aims to move beyond declarations and toward the creation of enduring mechanisms for cooperation, investment, and innovation. Expected deliverables from the Dubai edition include:
A joint statement of intent among participating governments, institutions, and industry leaders to co-develop a tech-secure, climate-compatible, and rules-based global economic future. The Charter will serve as both a vision document and a framework for ongoing multilateral collaboration.
Tech Working Groups: Structured bilateral and trilateral coordination units focused on deepening cooperation in priority areas such as artificial intelligence, green hydrogen, blockchain, space technology, and regulatory standards for emerging industries.
The Dialogue will provide a platform for generating and advancing specific projects, investment proposals, and joint ventures across frontier technology sectors, particularly those aligned with sustainable development goals and regional transformation agendas
A curated and data-driven outcomes document that synthesizes insights from the Dialogue and offers actionable policy and investment roadmaps.
This paper will feed into India’s and the region’s positions at major global forums including the G20, COP, BRICS, and the World Economic Forum.
The Dialogue will consolidate the role of the Council for International Economic Understanding (CIEU) as a credible, non-partisan institution capable of facilitating sustained, Global South–oriented geo-economic dialogue.
It will also help institutionalise the GeoEconomic Hub as a multilateral platform for long-term, cross-sector engagement.
Organisers
Supporters
Agenda
09:30 – 10:30 hrs
Opening Plenary: India–West Asia Strategic and Geo-Economic Consensus
- Dr. Ashwani Mahajan – Member, Governing Board, Council for International Economic Understanding (CIEU)
- Meenakshi Lekhi – Former Minister of State for External Affairs, Government of India
- Sidharth Balachandran – Chairman, Board of Governors, Indian Business & Professional Council (IBPC)
- H. E. Mirza Hussain Al Sayegh – Member, Board of Trustees, Al Maktoum Foundation, UAE
10:30 – 11:00 hrs
India–Dubai 2033: Trade, Innovation, and Collaboration
- Satish Sivan – Consul General of India in Dubai
11:00 – 11:40 hrs
Panel Discussion: Digital Public Infrastructure for Global Interoperability
- Siddharth Shetty - Co-creator and CEO of Finternet, Singapore
- Dilip Asbe – Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) (Virtually)
- Vijay Shekhar Sharma - Founder, Paytm, India
- Dr. R. Seetharaman – Former Chief Executive Officer, Doha Bank, Qatar
Moderator: Priyank Narayan – Ashoka University
11:40 – 12:00 hrs
Next-Gen Digital Infrastructure: Transforming Access, Finance, and Development
- Kanwaljit Singh – Deputy Director, Digital Public Infrastructure, Gates Foundation, USA
- Harmeet Singh Sethi – CEO, PayG, India
- Ricky Stuart Goddard – Former CCO, SiGMA World, UK
- Dr. Sindhu Bhaskar – Chairman & Founder, EST Group, Forbes Council Member
- Ravi Gupta – Touras, India
Moderator: Narendra Yadav – CEO, Paytm Middle East
12:00 – 12:30 hrs
Fireside Chat: Cricket as Connective Capital – Building a Future-Ready India–West Asia Partnership
- Sanjog Gupta – Chief Executive Officer, International Cricket Council (ICC)
12:30 – 12:45 hrs
Fireside Chat: India – West Asia 2.0: Investing in Ideas, Innovation & Inclusive Growth
- Ashish Dhawan - Investor and Philanthropist; Co-Founder of ChrysCapital, Founder & CEO, The Convergence Foundation
- Tayeb A Kamali - Director General for Education & Training Development at the UAE Ministry of Interior
- Dr. Bu Abdullah - Chairman, Bu Abdullah Group of Companies
12:45 – 13:30 hrs
Lunch Break
13:30 – 14:10 hrs
Special Conversation: Cementing Brotherhood – India–West Asia Trade & Investment Opportunities
- Suresh Prabhu – Former Union Minister for Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Government of India
- H.E. Sultan Al Mansoori – Former Minister of Economy, United Arab Emirates
- Dr. Sachin Chaturvedi – Vice Chancellor, Nalanda University; former Director General, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS)
- Ambassador Amir Hayek - The First Israeli Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (virtual)
- Mr. Paras Shahdadpuri – Chairman of NIKAI Group
Moderator:Ambassador Anil Trigunayat, Senior Research Fellow, VIF
14:10 – 14:45 hrs
Fireside Chat: Strategic Corridors & Economic Integration – IMEC, I2U2 & Beyond
- Ashwani Gupta– Whole-time Director and CEO, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited, India
- Ramesh S. Ramakrishnan – Chairman, Transworld Group, UAE
- Vikram Shroff – Vice-Chairman and Co-CEO, UPL Group, India
- Noa Schusterman Dvir – Senior Researcher, MIND, Isreal
- Dr. Yousif Al Sabri - Former Ambassador of UAE to Poland and African Union
- Abdulla Al Hashmi - COO of Parks & Zones, DP World GCC, UAE
Moderator:Dr. Sachin Chaturvedi – Vice Chancellor, Nalanda University; former Director General, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS)
14:45 – 15:25 hrs
Special Conversation: AI Compact – Building the Next Digital Power Corridor
- Dr. Jassim Haji – President, International Group of Artificial Intelligence (IGAI), Bahrain
- Manu Kumar Jain — CEO, G42; UAE
- Ashwani Roy - Co-Founder & Lead Scientist, ALP Technology, London (Virtual)
- Shobhendra Bahadur - Director, MyGov, India
- Yaoz Server – Chairman, AGC Consulting, Tel Aviv, Israel (virtual)
Moderator:Jaswant Kaur Narwal - Chief Crown Prosecutor at Crown Prosecution Service, London UK
15:25 – 16:05 hrs
Big Conversation: Toward a Rules-Based Innovation & Trade Order
- H.E. Fahad AlGergawi — Under Secretary for Foreign Trade, United Arab Emirates
- Meenakshi Lekhi – Former Minister of State for External Affairs, Government of India
16:05 – 16:30 hrs
The Scent of Opportunity: Bridging India and West Asia through Culture, Commerce, and Innovation
- Mohammad Ibrahim Alblooshi - Chairman of Emirates Pride group
16:30 – 17:00 hrs
Financing the Green Frontier: Building an India–West Asia Cleantech Supply Chain Corridor
- Shuvendu Bose - Senior Advisor @ Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure – UAE
- Yacov Hadas-Handelsman – Former Ambassador of Israel to Hungary
- Mr. Gleb Borukhov - Managing Director of Realia Capital Group
- Syed Junaid Altaf - Group Executive Director, FIL Industries Private Limited
Moderator:Jagjeet Sareen - Partner, Global Climate Change
17:00 – 17:40 hrs
Panel Discussion: India–Gulf Economic Compact – Next 25 Years
- Siddharth Balachandran – Executive Chairman, Buimerc Corporation Ltd, Dubai
- Sanjeev Sanyal – Member, PM-Economic Advisory Council, India (virtual)
- Himanshu Khandelwal - CEO, Asas Capital
- Rishi Somaiya - CEO, Ajman NuVentures Centre Free Zone (ANCFZ)
Moderator:Sahitya Chaturvedi - Secretary General, IBPC
17:40 – 18:20 hrs
Big Idea: Bringing Asian Exchanges Closer in a Shifting Global Order
- Ashishkumar Chauhan – Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, National Stock Exchange of India (NSE)
- Rashid Al Mansoori – Former Chief Executive, Qatar Stock Exchange
- Hitesh Asarpota – CEO, Emirates NBD Capital
- Sanjeev Bikhchandani – Vice Chairman and Founder, Info Edge (India) Ltd (Virtual)
18:20 – 19:00 hrs
Bridging West Asia and India: Capital, Commerce & Technology in a New Era of Integration
- Jayant Sinha – Former Minister of State for Finance and Civil Aviation, Government of India
- Pankaj Gupta - Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Gulf Islamic Investments (GII)
- Raja AlMarzoqi - Chief Economic Advisor at the Ministry of Economic and Planning, Saudi Arabia
- Suresh Kumar - Chairman Emeritus, IBPC
- Nazem AlKudsi – Former CEO, Invest Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi (virtual)
- Riyad Alhoraibi - Partner in Aas capital (Virtual)
19:00 – 19:20 hrs
Re-Coding the Gulf: Designing Climate-Conscious Luxury for a Shared Future
- Ankur Aggarwal – Founder, BNW Real Estate
- Vivek Oberoi- Indian Actor and Entrepreneur
Gallery
Register to Attend
Taj Business Bay, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
December 15, 2025
9:30 AM to 19:40 PM
Thank you for your interest!