Speakers at an international symposium on Sunday stressed the importance of liberal attitudes, diversification of products and infrastructure development to have enormous and equal benefits of connectivity among India, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
They also highlighted the necessity of equipping their citizens with proper education about the benefits of connectivity in the area of natural, cultural, social and economic development for the three neighbouring countries, which have plenty geographical advantages.
The discussants made those observations at a plenary session on trade and connectivity on the sidelines of a two-day international symposium on Bangladesh's Engagement with India and Myanmar at Nabab Nawab Ali Khan Chowdhury Senate House at the University of Dhaka (DU).
The DU and the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (MAKAIAS) jointly organised the conference with the support of the Bangladesh-based NGO, Research and Development Collection (RDC), and the India-Bangladesh Foundation.
In a keynote address, Professor Om Prakash Mishra, Department of International Relation at Jadavpur University in Paschimbanga of India, said liberal attitude regarding connectivity in the three neighbouring countries is very much important in this connection.
"India should not over-emphasise Bangladesh and Bangladesh should not forget her geographic location. At the same time, diversification of products is also important…if Bangladesh does not sell more to India or India sells more to Bangladesh….then the trade deficit will gradually be going up," he added.
Speaking about deepening regional integration through BIMSTEC (The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), MAKAIAS Fellow Sayantani Sen Mazumdar said there was an emerging concern among the states about the degree of dependence of their own wellbeing upon the wellbeing and stability of the region, in which they are located.
She said regional integration arrangements are mainly the outcome of the imperative of the nation states to integrate the economies for achieving rapid economic development by reducing the intensity of disagreements and conflict and encouraging mutual trust and confidence building measures among the integrated units.
Dr Aksadul Alam, a DU associate professor at the Department of History, said Bengal was the gateway of contacts and communication between India, Mainland and Maritime Southeast Asia in the ancient period.
He said enjoying the geographically strategic location Bengal could easily participate in the trading transaction and extend her cultural engagement through river, land and maritime routes.
"Rivers have provided Bengal with inland communication facility while the Bay of Bengal opened her door for maritime trading," he added.
Former home secretary of India Pramod Prakash Shrivastav, who chaired the plenary session, suggested making people prepared first alongside various kinds of roadmaps for connectivity coupled with government initiatives.
He said there is a fear among many people of losing identities and there should be measures to convince them that values of their identities would be spread to people in other parts of the region.
"So, their identities will not be destroyed," he added.
Director of Tampadipa Institute of Myanmar Khin Zaw Win also spoke on the occasion.
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Liberalism, infrastructure dev to help reap benefits
FE Report | Published: April 14, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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