Addressing the 3rd India-Japan Intellectual Conclave on the theme of “North East India, Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal in the Indo-Pacific: Building Partnerships – The Way Forward” here in Agartala the capital of Tripura Japan’s Ambassador to India Hiroshi Suzuki said on Tuesday:
“Japan always gives priority to developing the North East region of India and increasing trade and economic activities with the neighbouring Bangladesh”
The Shillong based “Asian Confluence”, a premier think tank of India organised the two-day (Tuesday-Wednesday) conclave, where Union DoNER (Development of the North Eastern Region) Minister G.Kishan Reddy, Minister of State for External Affairs Raj Kumar Ranjan Singh, Bangladesh’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Bangladesh Shahriar Alam also spoke.
The Japanese Ambassador also said that:
“In the Bay of Bengal region, comprising Bangladesh, northeast region of India and West Bengal, 300 million people are living ensuring a good prospect of trade and economy”.
“Bangladesh could be the industrial hub of the Bay of Bengal region. We need industries and investment in the region for the economic growth of the region and it would resolve many issues including the unemployment problem”
” Bangladesh’s under construction Matarbari deep sea port (in Cox’s Bazar of south east Bangladesh) after completion of commissioning in 2027 would give a big push to the water connectivity between the Bay of Bengal region and the rest of the world”.
“Our Prime Minister Fumio Kishida earlier discussed with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi the joint development of the North Eastern region of India while many JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) projects are now under implementations in the region”
“Northeast India and Bangladesh value change would prosper both the countries. Use of the upcoming Matarbari deep sea port and existing Chhattagram and Mongla port in Bangladesh would help to a great extent to the region. Both Bangladesh and the northeast region of India have a win win prospect,”
Later Hiroshi Suzuki paid a courtesy meet with Chief Minister of Tripura at state Civil Secretariat.
