On December 3, 2024, the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) hosted an interaction with a delegation from the Danish Foreign Policy Society, Copenhagen, Denmark. The Danish Foreign Policy Society was formed on December 31, 1946, mainly by members of the Danish resistance movement with a view to secure Denmark’s active participation in the world, international institutions, and the liberal world order. The delegation consisted of 27 participants from different professional backgrounds, and the theme of the discussion was ‘India on the Move’. The session was chaired by Lt. Gen. R. K. Sawhney, who delivered the introductory remarks. The discussion was also attended by Amb. Anil Wadhwa, Brig. Vinod Anand, Capt. Anurag Bisen, Ms. Ruchita Beri, and other colleagues from VIF.

Salient Points of the Discussion

• There are several political and economic dynamics which are driving contemporary India as an emerging global power in its own right as well as a key player between the West and other rising international players.
• India struggles with a constant border dispute with China on one hand, and Pakistan on the other. Being a developing country, India is economically impacted by the border disputes as well as the growing Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean region.
• For India to receive a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council, there is a need to reform the structure of the UN, however, that would require immense political will from the Member States.
• BRICS needs to be understood as a non-western multilateral organization, rather than an anti-western organization. BRICS may be looking towards a new payment mechanism, but not a new common currency.
• Arctic has the largest reserve of oil and gas, making it a big pull factor for India, as India tries to diversify its energy imports, in pursuit of ensuring energy security.
• India is one of the most climate vulnerable countries and has been pushing hard towards renewable energy. In this context, India became the first country at COP29 to oppose the new climate finance goals for developing countries. Denmark is a leader in renewable energy, particularly wind power. India is trying to diversify its energy sector and thus a sustainable India-Denmark relation can be helpful in this regard.
• India’s rich cultural heritage, political landscape, and geopolitical dynamics facilitate its emergence as the voice of the global south and as a key player at the global scale.