7th MEA-PIC Asia Economic Dialogue (AED) to be held in Pune from Feb. 26-28, 2026
Pune, 23rd February 2026: The 7th edition of the Asia Economic Dialogue (AED) 2026, the annual geoeconomics conference jointly organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Pune International Centre (PIC), will be held at the PIC Campus in Pune.
Themed “Geoeconomics Beyond Globalisation: Tariffs, Technologies and Strategic Alignments,” this year’s conference marks a milestone as it will, for the first time, be held at PIC’s new campus at Pashan in Pune.
The three-day, 12-session international conference will bring together more than 45 speakers, including academicians, policymakers, and industry experts from nine countries—India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Singapore, Kenya, Australia, Israel, and Norway. The discourse will facilitate an exchange of transformative ideas and strategies.
Opening Remarks by Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar, FRS, President of PIC, will be followed by a Video Address by Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister, Government of India. The day will also feature a Panel Discussion on the conference theme of ‘Geoeconomics Beyond Globalisation’, chaired by Amb. Gautam Bambawale, Convenor of AED and former Ambassador of India to Bhutan and China, as well as former High Commissioner to Pakistan.
The Valedictory Address will be delivered by Amb. (retd.) Nirupama Rao, former Foreign Secretary, MEA, Government of India, and chaired by Dr. Vijay Kelkar, FNAE, Vice-President, PIC.
Announcing the event at a press conference held at the PIC Campus in Pune on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, Amb (Retd) Gautam Bambawale said several high-level sessions including fireside chats and panel discussions will be the highlight of AED 2026. He noted that the quality and global engagement of the dialogue have consistently been getting better over the years. He added that neighbourhood and the “two big powers” are the two focus areas for research at PIC.
Dinanath Kholkar, Director, PIC, highlighted that for the first time the conference will include a session on public health, examining its intersection with economics.
He also added that the AED 2026 coincides with two separate events at the PIC Campus—a Craft Expo and PIC’s Art and Culture programme ‘Palash’ (Festival of Spring), scheduled from Feb. 27 to March 1, featuring renowned classical vocalist T. M. Krishna.
Dr. Ajit Ranade, economist and Senior Fellow at PIC, explained that the MEA collaborates with think tanks to organise Track 1.5 conferences across three key domains: Geopolitics, Geotechnology, and Geoeconomics. Under this framework, PIC partners with the MEA to host the Geoeconomics conference, the AED. He added that PIC’s vision is to become a globally recognised think tank.
Day 2 will include Panel Discussions on Dual Intelligence, Public Health and Economic Development, High Technology in Strategic Defence, Technology for Defence Manufacturing, India + Asia Chip Corridor, along with a Fireside Chat with Baba Kalyani, Managing Director, Bharat Forge.
On Day 3, the focus of panel discussions will be Global Trade and Maritime Geoeconomics in the Indian Ocean Region.
Through nuanced and forward-looking discussions, AED 2026 aims to bring together distinguished policymakers, diplomats, scholars, industry leaders, and strategic experts from India and abroad to deliberate on pressing regional and global economic and strategic challenges and opportunities.
EVENT DETAILS
DATE: February 26 to 28, 2026
TIME: Day 1: 4:15 PM to 7:30 PM | Day 2: 10:00 AM to 6:15 PM | Day 3: 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM
VENUE: Pune International Centre Convention Hall, behind C-DAC, Panchwati, Pashan
