Dimapur, June 3 (MExN): Nagaland is among three north-east states Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ambassadors will be visiting as part of a tourism and trade exchange. The ambassadors of Thailand and Myanmar, Krit Kraichitti and U Kyi Thein met with Minister of Mines & DoNER BK Handique in New Delhi on May 26.
The diplomats and the minister discussed matter on border trade, it was informed today. It was decided that the ambassadors of the ASEAN countries will visit the North Eastern Region to explore the possibility of tourism and trade. The visit will be coordinated by the Ministry of DoNER and will be organized in two phases. In the first phase the ambassadors will visit the states of Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura. In the second phase, they will visit Sikkim, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, it was informed.
A recent notification of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on allowing more commodities for border trade along the Indo-Myanmar Border was also discussed. Earlier there was a list of 21 commodities allowed for trading with Myanmar. On May 12, the Central Government has allowed 18 more items such as bicycle parts, life saving drugs, fertilizers, spices, incense, sugar, salt, stainless steel utensils among others.
The ambassador of Myanmar also apprised Handique on the progress of a road linking Zokhta in Mizoram and Setpytpin in Myanmar.
The ambassador mentioned that the request by the Government of India for expediting the development of the road is being acted upon by the Myanmar Government. This road forms the road route under the Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project which envisages connectivity between Indian Ports on the Eastern seaboard, Sittwe Port in Myanmar and then through riverine transport and by road to Mizoram as an alternate route for transport of goods to North East India.
