Sushma Swaraj looks east, meets CMs of northeast states

GUWAHATI: Ahead of her two-day visit to Myanmar from May 10, the gateway to ASEAN and the country closest to the northeastern region, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described as the heart of India's Act East policy, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday interacted with the chief ministers of the eight states of the region.
MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted about the meeting, "Deepening our engagement with ASEAN countries through constructive consultation! EAM @SushmaSwaraj chairing an interactive session on 'Act East Policy' with chief ministers of northeastern states. On agenda - integration of views of northeast into our Act East Policy."

Speaking at the meeting, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put development of the northeast region at the heart of the Act East Policy, which has greatly increased people-to-people-contact, trade and other relations with the ASEAN countries. He elaborated on the positional advantage of the region to become the new growth hub of trade, tourism and cultural exchange, taking advantage of over 4500 km of international boundary it shares with neighbouring countries.

Pitching strongly for improved connectivity and communication infrastructure for furthering relations with the southeast Asian region, Sonowal called for improved airways, roadways, waterways, railways and information ways in this region. He also stated that starting of direct flights connecting the region with the capitals of southeast Asian countries will play a vital role in making the region a lucrative destination for potential investors. He urged MEA to contribute an amount of Rs 100 crore from ASEAN India Fund for viability gap funding to start flights from Guwahati to Singapore, Dhaka, Bangkok, Mandalay or Yangon in addition to the Rs 100 crore committed by the Assam government for the purpose.

He also spoke about the urgent need for early completion of the Asian Trilateral Highway as well as the reopening of the Stillwell Road upto Kunming in China and importance of connecting the waterways of Barak, Brahmaputra and Kushiyara rivers with Chittagong and Mongla ports in Bangladesh through dredging at an early date.

"Improved connectivity and infrastructure will lead to exponential growth in the tourism sector in the region in the days to come as northeast India has a lot to offer on the tourism front. The region can also expect increased flow of patients from Southeast Asian," Sonowal said.

He suggested that MEA may think of hosting a festival of North East in each of the ASEAN countries to project the rich heritage, culture, handloom, handicrafts, industrial and tourism potential of all the North Eastern states.