External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said the partition of India in many ways broke the natural connectivity of the northeastern states and impacted the growth in the area due to political barriers as well as administrative issues.

Jaishankar was addressing an event in Delhi University's Kirori Mal College on the topic 'Northeast India's Integration with South East Asia and Japan: Balancing Economic Ties and Ecological Conservation'.

"The consequence of the partition of India broke in many ways the natural connectivity that the Northeast had or would have enjoyed. As a result of that, the levels of growth that the Northeast should have seen was slowed down. In the first few decades after the partition, the Northeast did not enjoy the advantages which other parts of the country did because of political barriers and administrative issues," Jaishankar said while speaking to students.

The Union minister also added that the current economic stability in the Northeast is moving towards a stronger front.

"What we are seeing now, honestly should have come much earlier if history had been kinder to us. As I always say, for India to look east, Delhi should first look east and see the Northeast. It is then the potential and the possibilities of the Northeast will be fully appreciated," he said.

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