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The Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKI) hosted a visit to LKI by two senior Indian academics, Prof. Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS India), and Dr. Nagesh Kumar, Head, South and South-West Asia Office, UN ESCAP, and former Director-General, RIS India. They were in Colombo to participate in the South Asia Economic Summit organised by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS).

LKI’s Executive Director, Dr. Ganeshan Wignaraja, engaged in a wide-ranging discussion with Professor Chaturvedi and Dr. Kumar on the current global economic scenario and the pathways for South Asian cooperation. The discussion focused particularly on the US-China trade tensions, PM Modi’s neighbourhood first policy, BIMSTEC, SAARC, Sri Lanka’s economic outlook, and possibilities for collaboration between regional think tanks and UN agencies.

Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) is a New Delhi–based autonomous policy research institute that specialises in issues related to international economic development, trade, investment and technology. The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) serves as the United Nations’ regional hub promoting cooperation among countries to achieve inclusive and sustainable development.