Northeast key to India-ASEAN ties under new 5 year plan: Pabitra Margherita
Union Minister Pabitra Margherita highlights Northeast's pivotal role in strengthening India-ASEAN relations.
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn with Pabitra Margherita at the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) & Related Meetings in Kuala Lumpur
Guwahati, July 18: India and ASEAN nations share a deep relation in terms of spirituality, trade and commerce, and art and culture for hundreds of years and a five-year action plan for India-ASEAN ties was drafted recently, said Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, Margherita, who recently attended the 32nd ASEAN regional coordination meeting, said that with improved ties between India and the ASEAN countries, the northeastern region of way of the country towards the east.
He said the Government of India is actively implementing the Act East Policy, and zero tolerance on terrorism would give a boost to ASEAN should join hands for diplomatic move against the countries which give shelter to terrorists.
The Union minister said that the five-year strategic action plan from 2026 to 2030 would give a major boost to the international ties and this year has been termed as a year of tourism. He said efforts are on to boost tourism in the Northeast with visits of tourists from the ASEAN countries.
He pointed out that only recently, Assam was the theme of the Indian pavilion in the Malaysia trade and tourism festival. A similar event is planned in Assam in the month of October where tour operators from the ASEAN countries would participate.
When pointed out that flight connectivity is one of the keys to boost tourism, Margherita said that efforts are on to introduce flights connecting the Northeast India with ASEAN countries. Presently, all the ASEAN countries have flight connectivity with Del-hi and from there also, tourists can easily fly to the Northeast.
Margherita revealed that completion of the trilateral highway connecting India, Myanmar and Thailand would give a major boost to trade and commerce in the region. The Northeast and the ASEAN countries have lots of things in common in the handloom and handicraft sectors, he added.
"I also visited Cambodia recently and saw that scenes from the Indian epics, including Ramayana and Mahabharata, are engraved in the walls of Angkor Wat. This strongly depicts the thou-sands of years of relation be-tween India and the ASEAN countries, and now, our efforts are to further improve these ties," he added.