Former Bangladesh Foreign Minister to address Tripura Conclave

Former Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni will address the first-ever Tripura Conclave, a citizen initiative to promote regional integration with neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar and China.
"Tripura has long suffered from remoteness, so we now want to play into the new geo-politics of Asia. India's 'Look East' policy and trans-regional processes like BCIM and BIMSTEC will provide us opportunities to leverage for our growth," said Saumen Sarkar, managing director of Tripurainfoway.Com, who is sponsoring the Tripura Conclave.
The Conclave is conceived as a policy dialogue to explore ways by which states like Tripura can leverage trans-national processes like BCIM and BIMSTEC and India's Look East thrust, Sarkar said.

Dipu Moni, who is now chairperson of the Bangladesh Parliament committee on foreign affairs, will deliver the keynote address, outlining her country's outlook on India's Northeast and what opportunities it bears from the states of the region like Tripura.
Many leading Indian scholars and former diplomats with expertise on China, Myanmar and Bangladesh, will participate.
"We will seek to make suitable policy recommendations on how to develop relations with our neighbours in the region and how our state Tripura can benefit from it," Sarkar said.
When states like West Bengal and Assam have opposed land boundary agreements and river water sharing deals with Bangladesh and raked up the issue of illegal infiltration, Tripura has pushed for the best of relations with India's eastern neighbour.

Bangladesh has not only allowed trans shipment of heavy equipment for the 726 MW gas-fired power plant in Tripura's Palatana but is also allowing movement of 10000 MT foodgrains through the port of Chittagong and river port of Asuganj, which is barely 50 km from Agartala.