Our Correspondent
Mokokchung | July 16
A thirty two member Indian business delegation led by Member of Parliament, Mani Shankar Aiyar visited Bangladesh from July 10 to 14, with the aim to explore the business opportunities between the two neighbours. Parliamentary Secretary of Industry & Commerce, Government of Nagaland, Dr KC Nihoshe, Dimapur Chamber of Commerce President, Kasheto Yeptho and Mokokchung Chamber of Commerce Senior Advisor, M.B Longkumer were also part of the Indian delegation which also included businessmen from other northeast states of India. The visit was organised by the Merchant’s Chamber of Commerce, India and India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industries, Bangladesh and was supported by the Bangladesh Embassy in New Delhi.
Senior Advisor MCC, M.B Longkumer after returning from Bangladesh today informed that the trip was very successful. He said that the members from Nagaland and other north east states were included in the delegation since Bangladesh is close neighbour to the northeast India having good potentials for exploring trade and commerce between the northeast states and Bangladesh.
During the discussions, Dr. KC Nihoshe highlighted the potential of the North East region of India about agriculture and horticulture products and the rich mineral deposit of marble stone, coal and limestone. Nihoshe also commented that there is a huge potential for agro-food processing industries in Nagaland. He expressed to invite any investor to invest in this North East state of India.
A joint declaration signed by the Indian delegation leader, Mani Shankar Aiyar (MP) and President of the India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industries, Abdul Matlub Ahmad declared mutual commitment to the intensive development of trade and investment, infrastructure and general economic cooperation between the two countries, particularly within the sub-region of south Asia comprising Bangladesh and its immediate Indian neighbours including the eight states of the north east region.
Besides, the joint declaration also “recognised and reaffirmed that the immediate Indian neighbourhood constitutes the natural economic hinterland of Bangladesh and vice-versa”. Hence, the lost opportunities of the past have to be recovered urgently with a view to re-establishing the economic integrity of this sub-region in line with the vision expressed by the two Prime Ministers in their joint statement issued at New Delhi in January 2010, the statement declared.
“The overarching aim of such cooperation is to restore the sub-region to its position of economic eminence in the sub-continent which it enjoyed till a few decades ago,” the joint declaration stated.
To this end, the declaration stated that initiatives will be carried forward by mutual visits from and to Bangladesh on the part of India’s North East States, organised by the Indo-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and associated Chambers in Bangladesh, and the Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce, Kolkatta in collaboration with the Federation of Industries North East Region (FINER). It was agreed that the next plenary of business persons from Bangladesh and the neighbouring Indian states would be held in Agartala within the next six months, the joint declaration stated.
Some of the delegates led by Mani Shankar Aiyar met the Bangladesh Prime Minister and had talks with her. Besides, the delegation met with other business men and business house owners and talked about ways to explore the trade potentialities between the two countries, a press note by the IBCCI president informed.
