Secretary Balisacan addressing the “India in Asia” Conference

Rajasthan, India – Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan added a Philippine voice to the fertile exchange of ideas among the region’s eminent minds at the “India in Asia: Deeper Engagement Conference” held on 1-3 March at the Neemrana Fort Palace in Rajasthan.

Helmed by the New Delhi-based Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP), the Conference brought together policymakers, academics, and experts from various sectors on dynamics, developments and issues impinging on Asia.

It also sought to build and reinforce India’s connectedness in terms of non-governmental interactions with the rest of Asia.

Secretary Balisacan’s participation adds to the recent intensification of Philippine-Indian engagement in virtually all spheres of endeavor, and provides further substance to the ongoing commemoration of 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Arriving on the eve of the conference via the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the capital, Secretary Balisacan was received by Ambassador-designate Josel F. Ignacio.

Upon his return from Rajasthan three days later, the Ambassador-designate hosted the Secretary to a farewell dinner. Specially invited was Nepali Ambassador Shankar P. Sharma, a classmate of Secretary Balisacan at the University of Hawaii-Manoa. More than a reunion, the gathering served as a vital platform for discussions on Philippine-Nepali ties and potential cooperative ventures. Ambassador-designate Ignacio is also to be accredited to Kathmandu. END

From Left: Third Secretary Mark Anthony P. Dizon, Nepal Ambassador Sharma, Ambassador-designate Ignacio, Economic Planning Secretary Balisacan and Head Executive Assistant Lorenzo Atancio.