Jaishankar Counters Yunus’ ‘Landlocked’ Remark, Projects Northeast As BIMSTEC’s Connectivity Hub

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasised India’s vision of its northeastern region as a future connectivity hub linking South and Southeast Asia.

This came during the foreign ministers’ meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) in Bangkok on Thursday (3 April).

Speaking ahead of the BIMSTEC summit, Jaishankar highlighted India’s intent to integrate its “Act East” and “Neighbourhood First” policies with its Indo-Pacific vision, positioning the northeast at the heart of these ambitions, Hindustan Times reported.

“Our northeastern region in particular is emerging as a connectivity hub for the Bimstec, with a myriad network of roads, railways, waterways, grids and pipelines,” he said.

At the centre of India’s connectivity drive is the Trilateral Highway, an under-construction corridor linking India, Myanmar and Thailand, which is set to extend to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

“The completion of the Trilateral Highway will connect India’s northeast all the way to the Pacific Ocean, a veritable game-changer,” Jaishankar remarked.

He noted India’s “special responsibility” given its geography, “having the longest coastline of 6,500 km in the Bay of Bengal and sharing borders with five members of the bloc.”

Jaishankar’s comments appeared to counter remarks made by Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus during a recent visit to China, where he described India’s northeastern states as “a landlocked region” dependent on Bangladesh for maritime access.

“We are the only guardian of the ocean for all this region,” Yunus had said, sparking political backlash across India’s northeast.

While not naming Yunus directly, Jaishankar responded pointedly, “We also believe that cooperation is an integrated outlook, not one subject to cherry-picking.”

Against a backdrop of global instability and the announcement of reciprocal tariffs by US President Donald Trump, impacting five BIMSTEC members including India, Jaishankar called for more ambition within the bloc.

“This should encourage us to approach Bimstec from a more ambitious perspective... What we make of our prospects is very much dependent on ourselves,” he said.

India is expected to lead discussions on grid connectivity, transport infrastructure, food and health security, and combatting transnational threats such as terrorism, trafficking and cybercrime.

A maritime cooperation agreement is also likely during the BIMSTEC Summit on Friday (4 April).

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