Maldives ready to help revive SAARC: President Muizzu
Maldives is prepared to facilitate the resumption of the meetings of the SAARC stalled for the last nine years, President Mohamed Muizzu said on Sunday.
The South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) comprises India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan.
Speaking at the Maldives’ 61st Independence Day ceremony on Sunday, Muizzu described SAARC as an important regional organisation, according to the state-run Public Service Media (PSM News).
However, he noted that the Association has remained inactive for the past nine years.
The last SAARC Summit (18th Summit) was held in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu on November 26–27, 2014.
The 19th SAARC Summit, scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan in 2016, did not take place, and Summit-level engagement within SAARC has remained stalled due to the prevailing lack of consensus among member states and concerns relating to cross-border terrorism, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The Maldives has consistently advocated the peaceful resolution of disputes and is prepared to take a leading role in promoting dialogue, he said and stressed that reviving SAARC and restarting meetings among its member states are essential for maintaining peace and stability in the region.
“The Maldives calls on all parties with differing views to come together around the table, prioritise regional development and peace, and work in a spirit of cooperation.
“If there are difficulties in doing so, the Maldives stands ready to take the initiative and serve as a mediator to help advance those discussions,” PSM News said, quoting Muizzu as saying.
The SAARC was established with the signing of the SAARC Charter in Dhaka on December 8, 1985. The Secretariat of the Association was set up in Kathmandu on January 17, 1987.
SAARC region is home to nearly 1.9 billion people, representing approximately 24 per cent of the world’s population, with a combined GDP of around $5 trillion, as per the MEA.