New Delhi, June 26: After hosting a delegation of business-savvy Thais last week, the northeastern states are getting ready for the Russians, Norwegians and Australians.

The minister for development of the northeastern region (DoNER), Mani Shankar Aiyar, said in Shillong last weekend that the Russian ambassador has planned a “detailed visit” to Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Manipur. He will cover the remaining states of the region later.

The objective of organising such visits is to showcase the Northeast as an investor-friendly destination in the light of the new Northeast Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy and Delhi’s focus on infrastructure development in the Eleventh Five Year Plan.

“I am opening the eyes of the world to the Northeast and opening the eyes of the Northeast to the world,” Aiyar said in the Meghalaya capital.

Thai commerce minister Krirk-Krai Jirapaet, who led a delegation to three states last week, ended his trip with the promise of “building a relationship” that could begin by diverting tourist traffic from his country to the region.

The Australian high commissioner will follow the Russian ambassador, and both are expected to be as serious about assessing the potential for business in the Northeast as the Thais were.

Aiyar, a former foreign service officer who has given the hitherto lustreless DoNER ministry a profile, expects to hear from the Norwegian ambassador shortly about a Scandinavian business delegation’s plan to visit the region.