SHANGRI-LA DIALOGUE - INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

News: Zelensky attends Shangri-La dialogue to gather support for Switzerland summit

 

What's in the news?

       Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy arrived in Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue conference, where he planned to meet U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and discuss support for his embattled country in an address to delegates.

 

Shangri-La Dialogue:

       It is an inter-governmental security forum held annually by an independent think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) which is attended by defence ministers, permanent heads of ministries and military chiefs of 28 Asia-Pacific states.

 

Year:

       Originally known as the Asia Security Summit was initiated in 2002.

 

Objective:

       To enable national leaders, ministers and policymakers from across the Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe and the Middle East to gather together to discuss the most pressing regional security issues and to share policy responses.

 

Venue:

       The summit happens annually in Singapore.

 

Organised by:

       Independent think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

 

Member Countries:

       The summit is regularly attended by the 28 member nations including India.

Participants:

       The Shangri-La Dialogue attracts a wide range of participants, including defense ministers, military chiefs, academics, journalists, and representatives from non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

       It provides an opportunity for both government and non-government stakeholders to engage in dialogue and exchange views on security-related matters.

 

Focus Areas:

       The discussions at the Shangri-La Dialogue cover a broad range of security issues, including regional security architecture, military modernization, defense policies, terrorism, maritime security, cybersecurity, and emerging challenges in the Asia-Pacific region.

 

Significance:

       The Dialogue is Asia’s premier defence summit and the important geo-political discussions took place in the summit.

       It features plenary debates led by government ministers, as well as important opportunities for bilateral discussions among delegations.