Guwahati: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that the convergence of the 'Act East' and 'Neighbourhood First' policies will have a huge reinforcing influence on the country outside of Southeast Asia.

The potential of BIMSTEC in the Bay of Bengal area demonstrates this, he remarked while speaking at the Natural Allies in Development and Interdependence (NADI) colloquium.

He claims that land connection through Myanmar and maritime connectivity through Bangladesh will open up all routes to Vietnam and the Philippines.

"Once this becomes commercially feasible, it will establish an East-West lateral with far-reaching implications for the continent," Jaishankar said. According to the union minister, it will not only strengthen ties with ASEAN and Japan, but will also contribute to the development of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.

"We have the potential to transcend geography and recreate the history if we can only get the politics and economics correct," he remarked.

The reopening of six old cross-border rail lines that had been inactive since 1965 is a significant step toward connectivity with Bangladesh, particularly with the North East, he added.

Jaishankar highlighted various ongoing projects in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar that have led to collaboration with these countries, resulting in regional cooperation in various sectors and economic strengthening not only between the two points of collaboration but also within these points.

He stated that due to its geography and insurgency, the execution of the Kaladan multimodal transit transport project on the Myanmar side is the most difficult. "We have truly suffered from this hard project, but we are more than determined to complete it."

The project, which is set to begin operations in March 2023, would connect the eastern Indian seaport of Kolkata with the seaport of Sittwe in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

"We are also assessing the viability of building cross-country rail links between Bhutan and India, which would run through Assam, as well as expanding the Buddhist circuit to connect sacred sites in Nepal and Bhutan with those in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh… "All of these initiatives are tangible manifestations of a promising future," he remarked.

These efforts will physically pull ASEAN closer together, and if the North East, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar become more closely connected, each of them stands to profit from more access, opportunity, resources, and markets, according to the central minister.

The India-Japan Act East Forum was established in 2017 as a venue for all stakeholders to collaborate on initiatives conducted with Japanese help. Given Prime Minister Narendra Modi's objective for the North East, we should collaborate with our most trusted global partners in a variety of sectors," he added.

Jaishankar emphasised Guwahati's geographic significance, saying that it has immense promise not just for the area and neighbouring nations, but also for regions beyond.

"There are undeniably constraints that must be addressed, such as topographic restrictions, which are best resolved by engineering and human inventiveness ".
In terms of connectedness, he stated that it began with roads and canals but has now expanded to include power grids and data corridors, education and tourism, energy flows, and cultural background.

"In truth, the connection is anything that connects. Evidence implies that we have made tremendous progress in connecting with our neighbours. "An Indian mainland linked to the North East, which is also linked to our neighbours, will result in a dramatic restructuring of the regional economy," Jaishankar said. Instead of being viewed as a frontier, the North East area will be viewed as a centre in its own right.

Giving an idea of the projects which are coming up, Jaishankar said India is collaborating on a series of road projects inside Bangladesh and efforts are on to enhance connectivity between Sikkim and Nepal. India is supplying 150 MW of hydropower from a project in the West Kameng district in Arunachal Pradesh, while an oxygen plant has been set up in Nepal with 48 percent FDI. "We are Nepal's largest trade partner and supplier of petrol from facilities in Assam and West Bengal." Similarly, Sikkim is collaborating with Bhutan to achieve 100 percent organic status with the objective of boosting agriculture production and organic trade, "he said.

Jaishankar said the multi-modal transport project on the river Kaladan in Myanmar, work on which is pending for years, was one of the hardest projects due to difficult topography and insurgency. "India is genuinely struggling with this complex enterprise, but we are determined to get it done," he said.

Its resources and talents will expand into larger and more ready markets, supply lines will be shorter, access will be broad and diversified, and the intensity of the economic activity will quickly and thoroughly grab many more sectors, he added.