WORLD NEWS | India-EU connectivity conference held in Meghalaya to explore investment in northeastern states

Shillong (Meghalaya) [India]June 3 (ANI): The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EU Mission to India and Convergence Asia jointly organized the Indo-Europe Connectivity Conference in Meghalaya on June 1-2 to explore connectivity in the northeastern states. invest.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) said in a release that Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and Minister of Foreign Affairs (MoS) Rajkumar Ranjan Singh ) opened the session on Thursday.

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The purpose of the meeting was to explore connectivity investments and identify specific projects in the north-eastern states of India, as well as in India’s neighbours, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, for implementation under the Indo-European Connectivity Partnership, which is led by The launch will be held in May 2021 during the in-person meeting.

In his speech, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh highlighted the importance the Indian government places on connectivity initiatives, both at home and as part of India’s development partnerships abroad. He highlighted the opportunities for India-EU triangular development cooperation in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific region.

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On June 2, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh tweeted: “Joining Meghalaya’s CM @SangmaConrad for the opening of the India-EU Connectivity Conference. Highlighted the importance of Indo-European triangular development cooperation in South Asia and Indo-Pacific huge opportunity”

In his speech, Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma highlighted the importance of interstate and cross-border connectivity for the entire North East region and especially for Meghalaya. According to the MEA press release, he referred to India’s “Act East” policy, where Meghalaya has a “Act South” policy focused on improving connectivity between Meghalaya and Bangladesh.

Sangma suggested a “regional approach” to connectivity, involving neighboring states to meet each state’s needs. Thematic Technical Sessions; Digital Connectivity, Energy Connectivity, Transport Connectivity and Connectivity and other projects focused on linking the North East with India’s Neighborhoods as part of ‘Act East’ and ‘Neighborhoods First’ policies, meeting at held the next day.

According to the MEA press release, the meeting saw the participation of senior officials from the Government of India, European Commission, Northeastern state governments, Northeastern councils, stakeholders from Nepal, Bangladesh, and private sector executives operating in the region.

“The ‘Connect and Beyond’ group’s deliberations focused on barriers and bottlenecks faced by these projects, and ways to improve their impact,” the MEA said in a news release.

The Digital Connectivity group is focused on increasing internet penetration in the region by deploying infrastructure and simultaneously building the capacity of various stakeholders to ensure meaningful connectivity.

During the meeting, the development of localized off-grid solutions through community engagement was highlighted as the way forward to promote “energy connectivity” in the region.

Experts discussing “transportation connections” praised several transformative infrastructure developments underway in the region’s road, rail and water links. They also suggest that more is needed. The review also focused on identifying suitable projects for external funding.

In a press release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) said, “Going forward, the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS) will conduct research on existing EU Member State-driven projects. Stakeholders such as MEA, EU delegations and other institutions RIS Suitable projects will be identified for joint implementation under the framework of the Indo-European Connectivity Partnership.”

The MEA further said, “It is worth mentioning that the first India-EU Trade and Technology Council Ministerial meeting in Brussels on 16 May 2023 identified the connectivity partnership as one of the key focus areas for India-EU cooperation .European Union.” (Arney)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the body of content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)