II Spain-India Dialogue with Dr. Samir Saran, President of the Observer Research Foundation.
He addressed the importance of India regarding Maritime Security, Governance and Commerce in the Indo-Pacific
On March 28, the Spain-India Observatory (SIOb) organized, in collaboration with the Ramón Areces Foundation (FRA, in Spanish), the II Spain-India Dialogue: "India Matters? Maritime Security, Governance and Commerce in the Indo-Pacific", on the occasion of the visit to Spain of Dr. Samir Saran, President of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), Curator of Raisina Dialogue and Chair, T20 India Secretariat. This new Dialogue is part of the 2023 SIOb program dedicated to the Indo-Pacific.
The event also counted on the participation of the Director of the FRA, Raimundo Pérez-Hernández; the President of the Spain-India Council Foundation, Juan Ignacio Entrecanales; Rear Admiral Juan Bautista Pérez-Puig, Deputy Director General of Plans and International Relations of the Spanish Ministry of Defence, and the Ambassador of India to Spain, Dinesh Patnaik.
In an open conversation format moderated by the Director of the Spain-India Observatory, Cristóbal Alvear, and Amaia Sánchez-Cacicedo, South Asia Analyst at the European Union Institute for Security Studies, Dr. Samir Saran discussed different issues related to maritime security, governance and commerce in the Indo-Pacific.
In his capacity as Curator of the Raisina Dialogue, Saran stated that the "talks matter now more than ever" for those who believe in "One Earth, One Family, One Future", which is precisely the motto of the Indian G20 Presidency this 2023. For this reason, he began his speech by pointing out that conversations such as the 2nd Spain-India Dialogue are a clear example of the "determination to walk together towards a common future".
Spain and Europe, he stressed, should pay greater attention to the Indo-Pacific, since it is the scenario where "the political and economic future of humanity will be decided". The region accounts for 60% of the world's population and 40% of world GDP (it will increase to two-thirds of world GDP in the next two and a half decades).
The maritime domain occupies a central place in the current regional structure as well as in the strategic calculations of regional powers. India, as a provider of security and stability in the Indian Ocean, is increasingly aware of the importance of boosting its naval capabilities, not only for strengthening the security and defence pillar, but also for the provision of economic and humanitarian assistance to countries in the region.
The Quad is a particularly important grouping in the Indian coalition system, as it represents the "consensus among different players in the region who have agreed to partner together to maintain the balance of power" in the Indo-Pacific. The ORF Chairman predicted that if a political security architecture were to emerge in the future in this geographic space, the Quad would be its cornerstone.
Dr. Samir Saran also addressed other issues relevant to the future of the region, such as the deepening of the EU-India relationship, the resilience of supply chains, partnerships in digitalization and connectivity, and unconventional security threats.
