15th SAARC Summit concludes in Colombo
The 15th Summit of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) concluded in Sri Lankan capital Colombo on Sunday with the member states adopting a 41-point declaration.
The leaders of the SAARC member states - Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Afghanistan and Bhutan - in a declaration at the end of the two-day Summit reaffirmed their commitment to the principles and objectives enshrined in the SAARC Charter, agency reports said.
In the Colombo Declaration, leaders have pledged to continue efforts to boost economic growth, social progress and cultural development which would promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and improve their quality of life, thereby contributing to peace, stability, amity and
progress in the region.
The leaders recognised that SAARC has been making steady progress over the years, in particular since the last Summit held in New Delhi in April 2007, towards realizing the objectives of the charter.
They said they were convinced that the process of regional cooperation must be truly people-centered, so that SAARC continues to strengthen in keeping with expectations as a robust partnership for growth for the peoples of South Asia.
They accordingly directed all SAARC mechanisms to abide by the objective of the Charter, of promoting the welfare of the people and improving their quality for life. In this regard they directed the Council of Ministers to ensure that SAARC mechanisms identify further areas of cooperation where people-centric partnership projects could be initiated.
The 16th Summit will be held in Male, the capital of Maldives.
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who led the Nepali delegation to the summit, is to arrive in Indian capital New Delhi tonight. He is expected to meet senior Indian political leaders including chairperson of ruling Congress (I) party, Sonia Gandhi, before flying back to Kathmandu on Monday.
Members of the Nepali delegation to the regional Summit included Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, Prime Minister's daughter and Minister without Portfolio Sujata Koirala and chief secretary Bhoj Raj Ghimire. nepalnews.com Aug 03 08
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