Arunachal Pradesh Governor advocates strengthening Sino-India ties through cooperation

ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Nirbhay Sharma today advocated for strengthening India-China relation through cooperation, not onfrontation.

Addressing a two-day seminar on 'Voices from Arunachal: India-China Border Problems and related Arunachal Folklore' at the Rajiv Gandhi University here, Sharma said the benefits of cooperation were more.

"India and China's dreams of being strong, developed and prosperous nations are interconnected and mutually compatible," he said.

The Governor commended the collaborative initiative to understand the local perspective at the grassroots of the border state by documenting the folklores and oral history.

"We must listen to the issues that matter to the people of the state and appreciate them," he said.

Sharma pointed out the economic and vital strategic significance of Arunachal Pradesh and the North East region and its potential in terms of its proximity to eight Asian countries as gateway to the South East and East Asia.

Highlighting on the demographic connectivity, he said Arunachal Pradesh has ancient linkages with places like Tibet and Myanmar through human migration over the ages.

Referring to reopening of the old Silk Route and Stilwell Road, he said, "The Centre is working on strengthening bilateral relation on the basis of the Prime Minister's vision of "Inch Towards Miles".

The seminar was organised by Research Centre for Eastern and North Eastern Regional Studies, Kolkata and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute for Asian Studies, Kolkata in collaboration with Rajiv Gandhi University.