Mr. Madhurjya Kumar Dutta, Director of the Trade and Investment Facilitation Department of Mekong Institute, attended the ASEAN-INDIA Forum 2107 on August 3-4, 2017, in Bangkok, Thailand. 

The Forum aimed to strengthen the ASEAN-India Economic Partnership by sharing perspectives of lead discussants on untapped potentials in trade and investment within and outside of ASEAN and India, and discuss the implications of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) to India and the connectivity of the two regions from now and in the future. 

At the Forum, Mr. Dutta partook in the panel discussion on ‘ASEAN-India Connectivity: Unleashing the Potential Boost for Two Regions’ and provided insights on prospects of regional connectivity, while introducing MI’s initiatives on the GMS economic corridor development through business database development and ecommerce possibilities. 

H.E. Mr. Pradap Pibulsonggram, Advisor to Department of ASEAN, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, moderated the session. Over 500 delegates, including policy makers, senior officials, business leaders, and think tanks from ASEAN and India, attended the Forum. 

The inaugural session of the Forum was addressed by H.E. General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of Thailand, H.E. Mrs. Apiradi Tantraporn, Minister of Commerce of Thailand, and H.E. Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Commerce and Industry of India.