SAARC Secretary-General meets Nepal's Foreign Minister

Kathmandu, Aug 13 (PTI) Secretary-General of the SAARC Md. Golam Sarwar on Tuesday called on Nepal's Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba and the two leaders discussed the current state of cooperation in the eight-member regional grouping and revitalising the forum in the shared interests of member states.

The SAARC or South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation has not been very effective since 2016 as its biennial summits have not taken place since the last one in Kathmandu in 2014.

During the meeting here, Sarwar and Minister Rana discussed "current state of regional cooperation in SAARC and revitalising this forum in shared interests of Member States," according to the Foreign Ministry.

On the occasion, the SAARC Secretary General congratulated Rana on the assumption of important responsibility as the Foreign Minister and the Chair of the SAARC Council of Ministers.

The two leaders "discussed ongoing initiatives in SAARC, forward movement, and upcoming meetings," according to the SAARC Secretariat.

Nepal has been making efforts to activate the regional grouping, which has not been very effective since 2016.

The 2016 SAARC Summit was to be held in Islamabad. But after the terrorist attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir on September 18 that year, India expressed its inability to participate in the summit due to "prevailing circumstances".

The summit was called off after Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also declined to participate in the Islamabad meet.

The regional grouping comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. PTI SBP ZH ZH