Tripura: India, Japan, and Bangladesh to hold intellectual conclave on Northeast India connectivity in Agartala

The third India-Japan Intellectual Conclave on North East India, Bangladesh, and the Bay of Bengal is set to begin on April 11 at the Indo-Pacific Building in Agartala. The two-day conclave aims to highlight the framework of cooperation between ongoing bilateral cooperation between India and Japan and Bangladesh, and how it can be leveraged to secure a prosperous Bay of Bengal neighborhood.

The northeastern states are landlocked, but the region put together enjoys proximity to the Bay of Bengal, which is ecologically connected through a unique "mountain to sea" contiguous landscape. Connectivity and cooperation with the nations of the Bay of Bengal, particularly Bangladesh, hold enormous possibilities for trade, investment, cultural contacts, and efforts towards the holistic conservation of the fragile biodiversity of the region.

The event will bring together experts and policymakers to discuss building industrial and people connectivity over the physical connectivity projects underway. It will make an assessment of the current state of connectivity and gaps between Bangladesh and the northeastern part of India. Border connectivity and facilitation, and identification of specific challenges and issues that need to be addressed on a timeline to overcome these challenges will also be discussed. Additionally, the conclave will explore India-Japan-Bangladesh collaboration in the region.

This conversation aims to be a concrete milestone progress in BIMSTEC regional connectivity and be in total harmony with India's "Act East" and "Neighborhood First" policies. A connected Bay of Bengal is also a key component of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, and such connectivity would be a concrete convergence of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and Japan's Free and Open Indo Pacific (FOIP) and BIG-B Initiative.

The conclave will bring together policymakers and experts from India, Japan, and Bangladesh to ideate on connecting businesses, entrepreneurs, and local community stakeholders, and to explore avenues of collaboration. The event is expected to provide a platform for identifying and addressing the challenges in the region and to further strengthen the ties between the three nations.