New Delhi: The 10th edition of Raisina Dialogue was held in Delhi from March 17, 2025, to March 19, 2025. Since its first inaugural session held in March 2016 until now, the Raisina Dialogue has evolved into a formidable platform, sparking incisive conversations in geopolitics and geoeconomics among the global community. It stands as a dynamic forum for exchanging profound ideas on contemporary and future challenges, including critical security and military matters among global policymakers and key stakeholders – from distinguished statesmen and government officials to corporate leaders, academic experts, researchers, and media representatives.
The dialogue has attracted prestigious inaugurators beyond the prime minister, Narendra Modi, including the prime minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the prime minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.
From humble beginnings as India's flagship conference with just 120 participants from 40 countries in 2016, attendance has skyrocketed to 3,500 participants representing 125 nations in 2025 – a testament to its growing global significance during an era of multifaceted international challenges. The prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, captured this transformation perfectly in his 2018 inaugural address: “The uniqueness of the event can't be overemphasized. Even a decade ago, it would have been unimaginable for an Israeli PM to address an international audience in India which has been used to occupying a very different geopolitical space.”
Through this prestigious forum, India projects its nuanced diplomatic positioning – standing firmly alongside its western friends while simultaneously embracing its role as a core member of the global south, navigating this apparent contradiction with remarkable finesse. The dialogue mirrors India’s balanced foreign policy approach by curating speakers who represent diverse and often contrasting perspectives.
This commitment to plurality was particularly evident in 2023, at the height of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, when the Raisina Dialogue hosted the foreign minister of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, alongside the secretary of state of the US, Anthony Blinken, and the former secretary of defence of the US, Jim Mattis. Such inclusivity earned recognition from The Diplomat, a prominent foreign affairs publication, which described the Raisina Dialogue as surpassing even the world-renowned Munich Security Conference in diversity and representation.
Over the years, the Raisina Dialogue has broadened its agenda to address emerging global challenges across numerous domains – from international conflicts to global trade and digital transformation. By convening the most informed and influential voices – political leaders, senior military officials, distinguished academics, and business titans – the conference has created an unparalleled global platform for meaningful exchange.
The Raisina Dialogue embodies India’s conviction that dialogue forms the foundation for consensus-building and conflict resolution. This principle of constructive engagement clearly emerges as the defining characteristic of the conference's decadelong legacy – emphasizing convergence rather than conflict as the path forward in international relations.
