Assam CM briefs EAM Jaishankar on visits to Bhutan, South Korea and Japan

New Delhi, Feb 4 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday called on External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, briefing him on his recent visits to Bhutan, South Korea and Japan.

“I had the pleasure to call upon our erudite Hon’ble Union Minister Shri Dr S Jaishankar Ji. During our conversation, I had the opportunity to brief him on my recent visits to Bhutan, South Korea and Japan and the tremendous appreciation for the India growth story, which I witnessed first hand in these countries,” Sarma posted on X after the meeting.

The Chief Minister also extended an invitation to the EAM for the upcoming Advantage Assam 2.0 Summit that is scheduled to be held in Guwahati on February 25-26 and will be the largest investment promotion and facilitation initiative by the government of Assam, highlighting the state’s geostrategic advantages and its potential as a major investment destination.

“At Advantage Assam 2 we will have the privilege of Hon’ble Minister elucidating the critical role of Assam in India’s Act East Policy,” said Sarma confirming Jaishankar’s attendance at the landmark event.

Assam remains key to India’s ‘Act East’ policy and PM Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Purvodaya’ for the northeast region to be the gateway of India’s progress.

“Glad to meet CM Assam Himanta Biswa ji this morning. Discussed development initiatives in Assam, and its centrality to success of our Act East and BIMSTEC policies,” stated EAM Jaishankar after meeting the Assam CM.

The Assam Chief Minister has also been raising concerns over several reports indicating that some sections of Bangladeshi establishment are trying to revive militancy in Assam with the help of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

“The situation in Bangladesh is not good. We have come to know that the ISI, with the help of some sections of the Bangladeshi establishment, is trying to revive militancy in Assam. However, it’s not practically possible as there is no local support available to spread such intentions. Moreover, people want peace,” he said at a recent event in Kokrajhar to commemorate five years of the 2020 Bodo Peace Accord.

Sarma on Monday met PM Modi in the Parliament, holding discussions on the investment initiatives in the state.

The Prime Minister will attend the Advantage Assam 2.0 as Chief Guest on February 25 and also the mega Jhumur dance performance at Sarusajai Stadium in Guwahati.

Assam is positioning itself as a global hub of semiconductors and an electronic city is being developed in Jagiroad to give momentum to the ambitious plan, Sarma had revealed after his trip to Japan, last month.

“To take our semiconductor vision forward, we met top representatives of semiconductor firms – Micron Memory, Ueno Seiki, Tanaka, Tokyo Electron, Renesas Electronics and Enomoto Co in Japan,” he said after returning to Guwahati.

–IANS

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