The three-day northeast festival began in Bangkok on Friday in presence of 150 Thai tour operators interacting with northeast India's tourism stakeholders.

The colourful festival began at the Centara Grand Hotel in Bangkok to showcase northeast India and explore the shared history, officials said.

According to an official statement, senior officials of Tourism Departments of various northeastern states displayed a vivid and elaborate picture about the scope, potentiality and natural beauty of northeast India.

Ambassador of India to Thailand Suchitra Durai in her welcome address defined that the festival is a path breaking initiative to promote Indo-Thai relationship with special focus on northeast India.

India's Minister of state for External Affairs R.K. Ranjan, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, several ministers from the northeastern states, senior officials of Central and state governments in the northeast and top industrialists, among others attended the festival.

In the second edition of the 'Northeast India Festival', a series of discussions, exhibitions, buyer-seller meets, cultural programmes and fashion events would be held at the Central World in Bangkok, which will also be a part of the events to celebrate 75 years of India-Thailand diplomatic ties.

The first edition of the festival was organised in February 2019 when it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

With support from the Indian Embassy in Bangkok and various state governments in the northeast, the festival is being organised by the Guwahati based socio-cultural trust, Trend MMS.

Ambassadors of various ASEAN and QUAD countries, experts, and the local Thai community are also expected to attend the festival.

Over 30 MSME entrepreneurs will showcase their products from the northeastern region at the festival with special focus on tea, handicraft, agri-horti products and tourism.

Festival spokesman Shyamkanu Mahanta said that more than 400 delegates are travelling to Bangkok to participate in the festival.Mahanta also informed that the northeast diaspora in Thailand under NEIA is supporting the event.

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