External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday said state governments of the North-eastern region were active stake-holders in India’s ‘Act East Policy’.
She was chairing an interactive session with the Chief Ministers of North-eastern states on the ‘Act East Policy’ here.
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Rajiv Kumar, Vice-Chairman, Niti Aayog; Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister of Assam; N. Biren Singh, Chief Minister of Manipur; Conrad Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya; Neiphiu Rio, Chief Minister of Nagaland; Biplab Kumar Deb, Chief Minister of Tripura; Chowna Mein, Deputy Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh and Minister of State for External Affairs V. K. Singh participated in this meeting.
The meeting followed up on an earlier conference chaired by Swaraj with the governors of the North-eastern States in November 2017.
Greater connectivity and economic integration of India’s North East with its eastern neighbours was considered a key focus area for growth and development of the region, the External Affairs Ministry said after the meeting.
India’s ‘Act East Policy’ had received a major boost following the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit, which was held in New Delhi on 25 January.
The meeting deliberated on the North-eastern region’s intra-regional and sub-regional surface and air linkages, focusing on seamless connectivity with its contiguous neighbourhood. Continued development of relevant infrastructure both within the state and at international borders was also discussed with a view to enhancing trade, investment, tourism and people-to-people ties.