With the Government stepping up its efforts to strengthen ties with neighbouring countries, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday called for better connectivity with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar for faster development.
He also said these endeavours by India are part of its ‘Act East’ and ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and will have enormous reinforcing impact beyond the confines of South Asia.
Addressing the Natural Allies in Development and Interdependence (NADI) conclave in Guwahati, Jaishankar said the realisation of this is evident from the potential of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation( BIMSTEC) on the Bay of Bengal region. The BIMSTEC includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Land connectivity through Myanmar and sea connectivity through Bangladesh will open up all the ways to Vietnam and Philippines, he said.
"Once this becomes viable on a commercial scale, it will create an East-West lateral with sweeping consequences for the continent," the minister added.
Elaborating upon it, Jaishankar said it will not only build on the partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations( ASEAN) countries and Japan, but will actually make a difference to Indo-Pacific Economic Framework that is now in the making, the minister said.
Jaishankar said that work on restoration of 6 historical rail links with Bangladesh, dormant since 1965, is underway and overland trade is taking place using 28 notified land customs stations and 3 integrated check points.
"It is definitely within our ability to overcome geography and rewrite history if only we can get the politics and economics right," he said.
Jaishankar said this vision can be successfully realised by enhancing connectivity with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar to improve access to the ASEAN countries and beyond.
“When done with imagination and on scale it can have repercussions far beyond immediate issues of the day. An India that is more connected to the northeast and a northeast that is more connected to India’s neighbours will mean a complete transformation of the regional economy,” said Jaishankar.
“Instead of being regarded as a frontier, the northeast region will emerge as a hub in itself. Its resources and skills will have a more ready market and the supply lines will be shorter,” he added.