About Kochi Dialogue 2026 About Kochi Dialogue 2025

Kochi Dialogue 2026

Towards an Innovative and Integrated India-GCC Partnership

Resilience • Reinvention • Redefinition

Organised by: Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Kochi

In collaboration with: Policy Planning & Research (PP&R) Division, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India

18-20, November 2026 | Kochi, Keralam, India

Building the Next Chapter of India–GCC Relations

Kochi Dialogue is a premier Track 1.5 platform that brings together governments, business leaders, strategic thinkers, and academia to strengthen the growing partnership between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Organised by the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) in collaboration with the Policy Planning & Research (PP&R) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, the Dialogue serves as a unique platform for diplomacy, business networking, policy dialogue, and strategic collaboration.

The inaugural Kochi Dialogue 2025, held on 16–17 January 2025, successfully convened ministers, senior government officials, ambassadors, business leaders, diplomats, and policy experts under the theme "India's Look West Policy in Action: People, Prosperity, and Progress."

Through discussions on trade, investment, maritime partnerships, education, healthcare, technology, diaspora engagement, and energy cooperation, the Dialogue established a strong foundation for long-term India–GCC engagement.

Building on that success, Kochi Dialogue 2026 aims to shape a new architecture of strategic interdependence between India and the GCC.

3

Days

5

Focus Areas

30+

Speakers

250+

Participants

What to Expect

Kochi Dialogue 2026 will feature high-level engagements across diplomacy, business, and public policy, including:

Track 1.5 Diplomacy Meet
Ministerial and Secretary-Level Discussions
Business Networking Sessions

Topical Seminars and Expert Panel Discussions
Special one-on-one interactions

Who Will Participate

Kochi Dialogue brings together influential stakeholders from India and the GCC, including:

Ministers from India and GCC countries
Ambassadors of GCC nations
Secretary-level government officials
Business and industry leaders
Technology experts

Ministers and senior officials from Indian states
Think tank leaders and policy professionals
Academics and researchers
Diplomats from embassies and consulates
Students and emerging policy leaders

Inauguration

Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh

Hon'ble Minister of State for External Affairs and Minister of State for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India

Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh, assumed charge as Minister of State of External Affairs and Minister of State of Environment, Forest & Climate Change of the Government of India on 11 June 2024. A distinguished five-time Member of Parliament from Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, he brings decades of leadership to his role in shaping national policy.

Widely respected for his transformative grassroots work, Shri Singh is a pioneer in rural education, establishing colleges for girls in Gonda. He is also involved in sustainable development through fish-rearing initiatives with the Ford Foundation, and holding information dissemination workshops for farmers and local fishermen cooperatives. A staunch advocate for environmental protection, he has led significant efforts in lake rejuvenation and played a critical role in ecological reforms through his active engagement with the National Green Tribunal.

Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh has a Masters degree in Geology from Lucknow University, Uttar Pradesh.

Speakers

Roji M John
Hon’ble Minister for Higher Education, Government of Keralam

V. Muraleedharan
Former Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, Former State President BJP Keralam, Member of the Keralam Legislative Assembly (MLA)

H.E. Mr. Abdulrahman Mohammed Al Gaoud
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Republic of India

S. Krishnan IAS (1989)
Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India

Amb. Sunjay Sudhir (Retd.) (1993)
Former Ambassador of India to the United Arab Emirates ; Fellow, Deccan Centre for International Relations; JSW School of Public Policy, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

Amb. Sibi George, IFS (1993)
Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India

P. S. Gangadhar IFS (2005)
Joint Secretary, Economic Diplomacy Division, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India

A. Amarnath IFS (2006)
Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India

S. Suhas IAS (2012)
Managing Director (MD), Cochin International Airport (CIAL)

Ameer Ahamed Manapatt
Chairman and Managing Director of Manappat Group of Companies

Dr. Abdulrahman Baboraik
Executive Director, Majan Council, Sultanate of Oman

Jamal Fakhro
Managing Partner, KPMG, Kingdom of Bahrain

Ashish Koshy
Chief Executive Officer, Inception (a G42 company)

Dr. Angelo George
Chief Executive Officer, Bisleri International

Ms. Zahraa Taher
Co-Founder & Managing Director, Finmark Communications, Bahrain

Roji M John

Hon’ble Minister for Higher Education, Government of Keralam

V. Muraleedharan

Former Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, Former State President BJP Keralam, Member of the Keralam Legislative Assembly (MLA)

H.E. Mr. Abdulrahman Mohammed Al Gaoud

Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Republic of India

S. Krishnan IAS (1989)

Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India

Amb. Sunjay Sudhir (Retd.) (1993)

Joint Secretary (IC&VIG), Ministry of Former Ambassador of India to the United Arab Emirates ; Fellow, Deccan Centre for International Relations; JSW School of Public Policy, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

Amb. Sibi George, IFS (1993)

Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India

P. S. Gangadhar IFS (2005)

Joint Secretary, Economic Diplomacy Division, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India

A. Amarnath IFS (2006)

Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India

S. Suhas IAS (2012)

Managing Director (MD), Cochin International Airport (CIAL)

Ameer Ahamed Manapatt

Chairman and Managing Director of Manappat Group of Companies

Dr. Abdulrahman Baboraik

Executive Director, Majan Council, Sultanate of Oman

Jamal Fakhro

Managing Partner, KPMG, Kingdom of Bahrain

Ashish Koshy

Chief Executive Officer, Inception (a G42 company)

Dr. Angelo George

Chief Executive Officer, Bisleri International

Ms. Zahraa Taher

Co-Founder & Managing Director, Finmark Communications, Bahrain

About the Sessions

Session 1

Redefining Investment: Expanding India-GCC Capital Flows across Infrastructure & Enterprise

Session 2

Resilient India- GCC Energy Partnerships: Strengthening Energy Security and Renewable Cooperation

Session 3

India-GCC Strategic Security: Navigating an Evolving Regional Order

Session 4

Resilient Connectivity: Strengthening the India-GCC Air, Port, Logistics & Supply Chain Corridor

Session 5

Reinventing Capability: India-GCC Cooperation in AI, Education and Innovation

KOCHI DIALOGUE 2026

Tentative Agenda

17:00 – 18:30

Registration

18:30 – 19:30

Inaugural Session

19:30 - 20:00

Cultural Night

20:00

Dinner

08:00 – 09:00

Registration

09:00 – 09:30

Ministerial Address

09:30 – 10:45

Session 1: Redefining Investment: Expanding India-GCC Capital Flows across Infrastructure and Enterprise

10:45 - 11:15

Tea Break

11:15 - 11:45

Ministerial Address

11:45 - 13:00

Session 2: Resilient India- GCC Energy Partnerships: Strengthening Energy Security and Renewable Cooperation

13:00 - 14:00

Lunch Break

14:00 - 14:30

Ministerial Address

14:30 - 15:45

Session 3: India-GCC Strategic Security: Navigating an Evolving Regional Order

15:45 - 16:15

Tea Break

16:15 - 17:30

Session 4: Resilient Connectivity: Strengthening the India-GCC Air, Port, Logistics and Supply Chain Corridor

08:30 – 09:30

Registration

09:30 – 10:00

Ministerial Address

10:00 - 11:15

Session 5: Reinventing Capability: India-GCC Cooperation in AI, Education and Innovation

11:15 - 11:45

Tea Break

11:45 - 12:15

Fireside Chat

12:15 - 13:00

Valedictory Session

13:00 - 14:00

Lunch Break

Delegates Depart

Our Sponsors & Partners

Geojit Financial Services Ltd

Engineers India Limited

GCC Outreach Partner

FinMark Communications

Sustainability Partner

Bisleri

Why Kochi

Kochi's association with the Gulf predates modern diplomatic frameworks by centuries. Long before formal bilateral relations were established, merchants, scholars, and seafarers moved between these coasts, exchanging goods, knowledge, and culture in a relationship that helped shape the Gulf's own coastal communities into the commercial centres they are today.

This engagement was never confined to commerce alone. It was underpinned by sustained people-to-people ties, familial, professional, and cultural, that continue to define the relationship to this day. Kochi, as one of India's principal historical gateways to the region, has been central to this continuum of exchange.

It is this enduring foundation of commerce, culture, and community that positions Kochi as a fitting venue for a dialogue seeking to define the next chapter of India–GCC strategic engagement.

Join the Dialogue

Kochi Dialogue 2026 offers an unparalleled platform to engage with policymakers, diplomats, industry leaders, researchers, and innovators shaping the future of India–GCC relations.

Stay Updated

The countdown to Kochi Dialogue 2026 has begun.

Join us in Kochi from 18–20 November 2026 for three days of policy dialogue and strategic conversations with policymakers, diplomats, scholars, industry leaders, and experts from around the world.

The programme, speaker lineup and other event updates will be announced soon.

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