Asia Economic Dialogue to be held in Pune

Pune: The Asia Economic Dialogue 2025, the annual geoeconomics conference organised by the ministry of external affairs (MEA) and Pune International Centre (PIC), will be held in Pune from February 20 to February 22.

Themed “Economic Resilience and Resurgence in an Era of Fragmentation”, this is the sixth edition of the AED. The three-day, 12-session international conference will bring together more than 40 speakers, including academicians, policymakers, and industry experts from nine countries — Australia, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. Ministerial participation will facilitate an exchange of transformative ideas and strategies.

The conference will kick off with opening remarks by Raghunath Mashelkar, president, PIC, and Piyush Goyal, minister of commerce, delivering the inaugural address.

The inaugural session will feature a conversation between Ambassador Gautam Bambawale, convenor, AED 2025, former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan and former ambassador to China and Bhutan, and Goyal; followed by a chat with Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, chairperson, Biocon Group, hosted by Rama Bijapurkar, expert on India’s consumer economy and author of “Lilliput Land – How Small is Driving India’s Mega Consumption Story”.

The valedictory address on Day 3 will be delivered by Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister for railways; information and broadcasting; electronics and information technology.

The topics explored at AED 2025 include are artificial intelligence (AI); cyber security; African transformation; blue economy; the international monetary system; micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and climate change.