The day-long conference on 'India's North-east: The bridgehead between Myanmar and India,' also emphasised on increasing cooperation in services such as higher and technical education, health care, tourism and cultural exchange
between the two neighbours.
The deliberation attended by 15 MPs, MLAs, academics and civil society members from Myanmar called for timely completion of development projects in Myanmar and the north-east by the Indian government.
It also urged the chief ministers of the region to play a crucial role in timely execution of such ambitious projects.
Addressing the conference, Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio said that geo-political considerations, historical cultural and ethnic affinities have all came together to make the north-east the natural land bridge between India and south-east Asia, through Myanmar.
Myanmar is the only ASEAN neighbour which shares border with four states-- Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
Highlighting certain areas of cooperation and infrastructure building, Rio asserted that the Centre must focus development efforts to sustain stronger ties with the neighbouring countries, and especially Myanmar, as key to breaking the geo-political isolation of the north-east.
Coinciding with the on-going week-long annual Hornbill festival, the conference was jointly organised by Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata and Tampadipa Institute, Yangoon and supported by ministry of external affairs and Nagaland government. MORE
