New Delhi, March 4 – Malta’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Ian Borg, arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday to attend the 11th Raisina Dialogue.
Welcoming Borg to India, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Randhir Jaiswal, in a post on X, wrote: "Warm welcome to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism of Malta, Ian Borg, for participating in the 11th Raisina Dialogue. India and Malta enjoy friendly and cordial relations based on strong people-to-people ties."
The Raisina Dialogue, scheduled for March 5-7, is India’s premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, held annually in New Delhi since 2016. The three-day event is organized by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The event brings together global leaders, policymakers, academics, industry experts, and journalists to discuss critical international issues.
In an official statement, ORF said, "This year's Raisina Dialogue returns with the theme that reflects the current situation: Saṁskāra – Assertion, Accommodation, Advancement. Saṁskāra refers to the inherited identity that allows civilizations to assert who they are, accommodate differences, and progress through refinement."
Bilateral ties between India and Malta have been friendly, with several visits exchanged between the two sides, according to the MEA. India was one of the first countries to recognize Malta’s independence in 1964 and established diplomatic relations with it in 1965.
Earlier in the day, Finnish President Alexander Stubb arrived in New Delhi for a three-day State Visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Stubb is the chief guest at the 11th Raisina Dialogue and will deliver the keynote address. During his visit to India until March 7, he is accompanied by a high-level delegation that includes ministers, senior officials, and prominent business leaders. This marks the Finnish President's first visit to India since assuming office.