Colombo: As part of her policy engagement programme, Dr. Parajuli met with Ambassador (Retd.) Ravinatha Aryasinha, Executive Director of the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS) and former Foreign Secretary of Sri Lanka.
The meeting focused on strengthening cooperation between IRGDD and RCSS through academic collaboration, strategic research, policy dialogue, researcher exchanges, conferences, publications, and institutional partnerships.
Both sides exchanged perspectives on the evolving strategic landscape of South Asia and underscored the importance of regional peace, stability, economic prosperity, and cooperative security in an increasingly interconnected world.
Recognizing the growing role of research institutions as instruments of soft power, they emphasized that think tanks can contribute significantly to evidence-based policymaking, informed public discourse, conflict prevention, and regional confidence-building by generating independent research and facilitating constructive dialogue.
The discussions also explored opportunities for collaborative studies on regional connectivity, economic diplomacy, sustainable development, multilateral cooperation, and emerging geopolitical issues, while encouraging stronger engagement among scholars, diplomats, universities, and policy institutions throughout the region.
Advancing Development through Diplomacy
Reflecting on the visit, Dr. Parajuli noted that diplomacy in the twenty-first century extends well beyond traditional state-to-state engagement. It increasingly depends upon collaboration among governments, research institutions, academic communities, businesses, and civil society to address shared regional and global challenges.
The visit reaffirmed IRGDD’s vision of strengthening international partnerships through dialogue, research, knowledge exchange, and institutional cooperation. It also demonstrated the growing importance of diplomacy, academic engagement, and soft power in promoting mutual understanding, regional cooperation, and sustainable economic development across South Asia.
