NEW DELHI: The government today rejected suggestions that any of the 39 countries including China, which are part of an ambitious project to re-connect cultural and economic communications between countries of the Indian Ocean 'world', are creating 'obstacles' in its implementation.
Responding to a supplementary by BJP's Dushyant Singh, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said "there are no obstacles from any country" in the implementation of the ambitious project 'Mausam'.
He said "China is an integral and important part of the programme" and India is working with it.
The endeavour of Project Mausam -- Maritime Routes and Cultural Landscapes -- is to re-connect and re-establish historical research to document the diversity of cultural, commercial and religious interaction between countries of the Indian Ocean 'world', which would lead to an enhanced understanding of cultural values and concerns.
The 39 countries identified for the project include Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria, UAE, South Africa and Vietnam.
"The main objective of the project is to inscribe places and sites identified under Project Mausam as transnational nomination for inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List," Sharma said.