Bangladesh’s steadfast support for reviving the SAARC process was reiterated today by State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, highlighting Dhaka’s dedication to regional peace, stability, and development in South Asia.
According to a ministry press statement, she made the comments during a courtesy call that Md. Golam Sarwar, Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), paid on her at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today.
They talked about a number of SAARC-related topics and strategies for reviving regional cooperation.
Recalling the origin of the regional body, the State Minister said the idea of regional cooperation in South Asia was first proposed by Bangladesh in the early 1980s by late President Ziaur Rahman to promote the welfare of the people, improve quality of life and strengthen collective self-reliance.
As one of the founding members and host of the first SAARC Summit in December 1985, Bangladesh recognizes the valuable contributions of the member states in maintaining the relevance of SAARC amid evolving regional and global dynamics, she said.
Shama Obaed noted that SAARC continues to foster shared regional values and promote cooperation in key areas, including trade, investment, connectivity, poverty alleviation, energy, climate change, food security, education, public health, culture and people-to-people contacts.
She reaffirmed Bangladesh’s steadfast adherence to the SAARC Charter’s tenets, which include sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence, non-interference in internal affairs, and mutual benefit for the peoples of member states, while highlighting the necessity of bolstering SAARC’s institutional mechanisms and revitalizing its procedures.
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