New Delhi, Aug. 19 -- Stressing the critical importance of India's Northeast in the country's strategic and developmental roadmap, foreign policy experts on Monday underlined the need to strengthen connectivity, people-to-people ties and economic cooperation with Southeast Asian nations to unlock the region's full potential.

Speaking at the conference on "Contributions and Potential of Northeast: Viksit Bharat @ 2047", former diplomat Suresh K Goel said the Northeast not only holds a "critically important territory for India's security calculus" but also shares deep cultural and social resonances with neighbouring countries like Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.

He pointed out similarities in festivals and traditions across the bord...