Call to further extend Trilateral Highway

Call to further extend Trilateral Highway
KALYAN BAROOAH
 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Brunei), Oct 10 – In a significant move, India has formally proposed extension of the Trilateral Highway Project – proposed to connect the North Eastern States with Myanmar and Thailand – to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam and its further linkage with ports in ASEAN countries and its integration with models like Special Economic Zones.

Addressing the 11th India-ASEAN Summit here this afternoon, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh proposed an ambitious connectivity proposal linking up the North-east with South-east Asian countries right up to Vietnam.

"Connectivity is a strategic priority in our relationship. We are nearing completion of the Tamu-Kalewa-Kalemyo sector of the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway. Repairs to 71 bridges on this road and work on upgrading a 120-km sector between Kalewa and Yargyi are to begin soon. We will work closely with Thailand and Myanmar to ensure that this project is completed by 2016," the Prime Minister proposed.

"It would be useful to look at the extension of this Highway to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, its further linkage with ports in ASEAN countries and its integration with models like Special Economic Zones. This would call for innovative financial and institutional mechanisms. I hope our Ministers and officials can discuss these ideas further," he said.

Dr Singh who had a hectic schedule today, attended two summit-level meetings including the East Asia Summit and India-ASEAN Summit, besides meeting Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbot and Prime Minister of Japan Shinzi Abe, among other world leaders. Last evening, dressed in a colourful traditional shirt, the Prime Minister attended a dinner hosted for the visiting leaders by the Sultan of Brunei, Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.

Earlier in the morning, participating in the East Asia Summit, Dr Singh advocating faster connectivity, called upon the ASEAN countries to fast-track implementation of the Sixth East Asia Summit Declaration on ASEAN Connectivity.

"In terms of priorities, the implementation of the Sixth East Asia Summit Declaration on ASEAN Connectivity requires a sense of greater urgency. Building of physical infrastructure needs to go hand-in-hand with creation of soft infrastructure along the connectivity corridors," the Prime Minister said.

Dr Singh urged the leaders of the ASEAN countries to expedite the implementation on connectivity, confirming that connectivity between India and ASEAN countries through the North-east is being pushed by New Delhi with a renewed vigour.

He also hailed Brunei Darussalam's initiative to hold a meeting between the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee and the East Asia Summit later this year, Dr Singh said.

The Bali declaration adopted last November identified ASEAN Connectivity as a key priority area of cooperation in the EAS, together with the other agreed priority areas of cooperation;

The declaration called for considering the possibility of having a "Connectivity Master Plan Plus" in the future which would expand connectivity beyond ASEAN and develop further linkages between ASEAN and its EAS partners.

The scope of India's engagement with East and Southeast Asia has grown steadily in the last two decades. "We seek to promote not only mutually beneficial bilateral relations, but also to work institutionally with regional partners and foster a climate that is conducive to stability, security and economic development in our region," he said.

India significantly expressed its willingness to add security dimension to Look East Policy. "We would be happy to respond to the ASEAN request to develop the security dimensions of India's Look East Policy to strengthen the ASEAN Political Security Community Blueprint 2015," the Prime Minister said.

Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2013/10/11/call-to-further-extend-trilateral-highway/