External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the coming together of ‘Act East’ and ‘Neighbourhood First’ policies will have a big impact on the country beyond the confines of South Asia.
Addressing the Natural Allies in Development and Interdependence (NADI) conclave, Jaishankar said the realisation of this is evident from the potential of BIMSTEC in the Bay of Bengal region.
Land connectivity through Myanmar and sea connectivity through Bangladesh will open up all the ways to Vietnam and the Philippines and once this becomes viable on a commercial scale, it will create an East-West lateral with sweeping consequences for the continent, he added.
‘Within our ability to overcome geography and rewrite history’
The EAM further said that it will not only build on the partnership with the ASEAN countries and Japan but will actually make a difference to Indo-Pacific Economic Framework that is now in the making.
It is definitely within our ability to overcome geography and rewrite history if only we can get the politics and economics right, Jaishankar said.
This vision can be successfully realised by enhancing connectivity with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar to improve access to ASEAN countries and beyond, he said.
‘North-eastern states can become a hub of the regional economy’
Saying that the north-eastern states can emerge as the hub of the regional economy involving the neighbouring countries, the EAM stressed that the connectivity of these states with India’s neighbours has the potential to transform the region.
Calling better connectivity key to improving the ease of doing business and living, the EAM said that topography-related challenges need to be tackled.
“India that’s more connected to the northeast and the Northeast that’s more connected to India’s neighbours means a complete transformation of the regional economy. Instead of being regarded as a frontier, it will emerge as a hub in itself,” he added.
