Imphal, 8 April 2016 : The two day North East  ASEAN Business Summit 2016 began today at City Convention centre Imphal. The summit is being held for the first time in Manipur. The two day event aims at increasing the trade volume among the member countries. Bangladesh minister of commerce Tofail Ahmed who was the special guest of honour on the first day emphasised the relationship between India and Bangladesh. He said the objective of the Business Summit is to strengthen trades among the South East Asian countries to achieve economic development. He also stressed the importance of transport and communication among the member nations to achieve the objectives. The Bangladesh minister described Manipur as a state with plenty of natural resources and appreciated the handicraft and handloom products of the state. Ambassadors of Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and High Commissioner of  Brunei, members of All India Chamber of Commerce were among those who attended the inaugural session of the summit.