Naveen Patnaik stresses strengthening trade ties between Odisha, ASEAN region

Bhubaneswar: Pressing for strengthening trade and cultural ties between Odisha and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday said Odisha is the gateway to the ASEAN region.

During his interaction with ASEAN heads of missions in India who are on a three-day visit to the state, Naveen said Odisha has the boon of geography and has been blessed with natural resources and major ports on the Bay of Bengal.

“As we move to a modern world, connected more and more through technology, I hope that we can renew the strong ties between our two regions. I hope that in the coming years we can further strengthen our trade ties and not just that, I also hope that we can increase our cultural ties and come up with more cultural exchange programs,” said the chief minister during a special session held at the convention centre of the state secretariat.

Naveen also invited the ambassadors to attend the forthcoming edition of the Make in Odisha conclave to be held from November 30th to December 4th along with their trade delegations.

“The conclave is a great platform to further strengthen the business ties between the two regions. The state government will facilitate government to business and business to business meeting with local companies and the ASEAN trade delegations,” said the chief minister.

Pattarat Hongtong, ambassador to Royal Thai Embassy, who led the team, expressed her sincere gratitude to the chief minister for the hospitality.

Speaking about the historical trade and cultural ties between Odisha and ASEAN nations spanning over 2,500 years, Hongtong said that there is a huge potential for trade and cultural relations with Odisha.

The Thai envoy said that they have firm belief in Odisha’s economic potential, and they will highlight this in their respective countries.

According to official sources, the ASEAN delegation has stated about the huge scope for exchanges in food processing, services, hospitality and medical tourism.

With the interaction session with the chief minister and members of local chambers and entrepreneurs, the ASEAN delegation also concluded its visit to the state.

State industries secretary Hemant Sharma said that the objective of the summit was to discuss ways to further strengthen the trade as well as cultural ties between Odisha and South East Asia.

Sharma said the visit will rekindle the strong cultural and trade ties between the two regions and can place Odisha as the epicentre of India’s trade ties with South East Asia.