The first was the nuclear test in Pokhran in 1998 and the other was the September 29 surgical strikes, he explained. After the Pokhran test, countries changed their opinion of India. Even in the Gulf countries, he got a warm receptions," he said.Iyer added that the northeast would benefit from its cultural proximity to southeast Asia in the near future. "Southeast Asia is strategically important for India. There is immense potential for the northeast to gain from southeast Asia.

Source: Times of India October 20, 2016 03:33 UTC