Category Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies

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India’s Parliamentary Diplomacy with North Macedonia: Significance of the Presidential Visit (2026)

India isn’t just looking at the usual big players in Europe anymore. Lately, it’s turning more eyes toward Southeast Europe and the Western Balkans. Why? Because New Delhi wants to shake up its diplomatic strategy and spread its influence , build more varied partnerships in a Europe that keeps changing shape. North Macedonia, for instance, has started to matter more. It sits in a key spot in the Balkans, has solid democratic foundations, and opens new doors for India in trade, technology, education, research, and sustainable growth.

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Regional Proxy Competition and the Constraints of Global Governance in Sudan

The African Continent has been marred by civil wars for a long time but none as severe as the ones in Sudan that since its independence in 1956 has witnessed 20 military coup attempts. However, the most recent civil war that started in 2023 and has continued till present is also one of the worst humanitarian crises ever faced by Sudan with over 13.6 million people currently displaced, 20 million people in need of health assistance and estimated 21 million people facing food insecurity.

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Protecting the Diaspora: Evacuation Planning for a Volatile Gulf

Policy UpdateAsmatwali Background India’s diaspora in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries numbers approximately 9.7 million out of a total overseas Indian population of 35.4 million, according to data submitted to Parliament by the Minister of State for External Affairs,…

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The Pakistan-Saudi Defence Pact and India’s Gulf Diplomacy

Policy UpdateAsmatwali Background On 17 September 2025, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) in Riyadh, formalising decades of informal Pakistan-Saudi security cooperation into a…

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India-Saudi Arabia High-Level Task Force on Investment (2023): Advancing the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership

Policy UpdateHimanshi Singh Background The old buyer-seller connection has given way to a comprehensive strategic partnership in the bilateral relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India. India signed a deal with the Kingdom to create the Strategic Partnership…

ASEAN

ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Plan of Action (2026–2030): Strengthening Indo-Pacific Cooperation, Connectivity and Regional Security

India-ASEAN relations have grown into one of the central drivers of Indo-Pacific stability and economic integration. Over three decades, bilateral engagement has moved from early dialogue mechanisms to a full Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.This evolution began with India's inclusion as a Sectoral Partner in 1992, a step that signaled New Delhi's turn toward Southeast Asia following its domestic economic reforms. India was elevated to Full Dialogue Partner status in 1996, which laid the groundwork for annual summit-level interactions established in 2002.The relationship reached formal Strategic Partnership status in 2012 at the Commemorative Summit in New Delhi, and was elevated further to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership status at the 19th ASEAN-India Summit in Phnom Penh in 2022.

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