The Vivekananda International Foundation organized an interactive session with Shri Sunil Bahadur Thapa, Joint General Secretary, Nepali Congress, and Member of Constituent Assembly on 08 November 2021. Shri Thapa was joined by Brishaw Parajuli, Representative and Country Director, United Nations World Food Programme, Nepal. Dr Arvind Gupta, Director VIF, chaired the session and delivered introductory remarks on India-Nepal bilateral relations and the impact of the domestic politics of Nepal. The other participants included Ambassador Jayanta Prasad, Professor Sangeeta Thapliyal, Dr.

On 30 September 2021, the Vivekananda International Foundation organised a virtual book launch session of the book edited by Dr Sreeradha Datta ‘BIMSTEC: The Journey and The Way Forward. The book was formally released by Ms Riva Ganguly Das, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, who was also the keynote speaker of the book launch session. Dr Arvind Gupta, Director VIF, delivered the opening remarks and welcomed the contributors and discussants.

In the ongoing VIF series on India and Its Neighbours, an interaction programme was organised on “India-Nepal Economic Dialogue: Unleashing Potentials” on 9 September 2021 in association with the Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies (AIDIA), Kathmandu. The session was chaired by Dr. Sreeradha Datta and Welcome Address was delivered by Dr Arvind Gupta, Director, Vivekananda International Foundation. The eminent speakers in the session included Mr. Sunil KC, Director, AIDIA; Amb Ranjit Rae, Former Ambassador of India to Nepal; H.E.

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a sub-regional organisation straddling five member states from South Asia and two from Southeast Asia. In the larger context of the global developments in the Bay of Bengal and the Indo-Pacific, BIMSTEC has taken on a more distinct salience and collaborative endeavours would prove beneficial for all the member-states.