NEW DELHI: Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Monday said the country’s ‘Look East’ policy to build bridge with Southeast Asian nations would not succeed if the north-eastern region and the sentiments of its people were overlooked.
Delivering the keynote address at an international conference on Myanmar, a country that borders India, Mr Rio said the region on both sides of the border was volatile and infested with insurgencies that have the potential to impact the rest of the countries in the southeast Asia.
He called upon the governments of the two countries to collectively address the issues affecting peace in the region, but sought to emphasise that no policy could be a success unless the sentiments of the population concerned were taken into account.
”It is imperative to bring about political stability into the region, if it is to be used as a corridor for international trade and cooperation. Political stability cannot be achieved if policies like the ”Look East” simply fly over the region without any beneficial impact on the local population,” said Mr Rio.
Political parties from Myanmar across the political spectrum and a number of international and Indian scholars are participating in the two-day conference on the topic of ‘Myanmar:Bridging South and Southeast Asia’ which began here on Monday.
The Nagaland Chief Minister said for achieving political stability in the region, it was a must that there was economic development based on infrastructure development, human resource development and respect for people’s rights and dignity. He made a strong case for the need by the two countries to facilitate movement of people and goods across the border in ”today’s globalised world”, and invited business houses from both India and Myanmar to invest in the northeast and use the area as a ”natural springboard” for trade and commerce.
He assured them of required incentives and concessions and best of terms by the state government.
Mr Rio also urged the External Affairs ministry and the Ministry of Trade and Commerce of both the countries to operationalise the third border trade point at Avangkhu which falls in Nagaland and Pansat-Somra in Myanmar, and was very important for the Nagas. (UNI)