- Title: NEPAL-SAARC/FOREIGN MINISTERS Foreign ministers attend SAARC meet in Nepal
- Date: 25th November 2014
- Summary: KATHMANDU, NEPAL (NOVEMBER 25, 2014) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI - NO ACCESS BBC) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** EXTERIOR OF MEETING VENUE 36TH SAARC COUNCIL OF MINISTERS MEETING IN PROGRESS PANEL SEATED ON STAGE INDIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER, SUSHMA SWARAJ, SEATED WITH FOREIGN SECRETARY SUJATHA SINGH SWARAJ WRITING PAKISTANI AND NEPALESE DELEGATION SEATED PAKISTANI DELEGATION SEATED SRI LANKAN DELEGATION SEATED NEPALESE AND MALDIVIAN DELEGATION SEATED SWARAJ AND SINGH SEATED VARIOUS OF THE PAKISTAN PRIME MINISTER NAWAZ SHARIF'S ADVISER ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS, SARTAJ AZIZ, WITH OTHER PAKISTANI DELEGATES VARIOUS OF MEETING IN PROGRESS
- Embargoed: 11th December 2014 08:51
- Keywords:
- Location: Nepal
- Country: Nepal
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA1SZEHS7BDCN6FTUN3O4Z62UHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
Foreign ministers of eight South Asian nations attended the 36th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Council of Ministers in Nepal on Tuesday (November 25).
Foreign Secretaries of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and the Maldives are setting the agenda for the 18th SAARC summit due to be held on November 26 and 27.
India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Monday (November 24) she hoped the Summit would bear fruitful results, boost regional cooperation, and cement ties, adding that this was of utmost importance to South Asian nations to do so.
However, as has been the case in the past, the event is likely to be overshadowed by a probable meeting between the leaders of India and Pakistan.
The two sides' unmitigated animosity has undermined greater regional cooperation, an agenda that was the founding principle of the eight-nation bloc of SAARC.
Neither New Delhi nor Islamabad has ruled out the possibility of a meeting between their respective leaders on the sidelines of the summit, saying their leaders would naturally be engaging in bilateral meetings with regional leaders.
A meeting between the leaders is seen as crucial because it could help keep alive the idea of engagement between two players whose battle for influence in Afghanistan has a direct bearing on the lives of 1.8 billion people.
While SAARC summits are often little more than a backdrop to bilateral meetings between India and Pakistan, the bloc has tried to push forward cooperation in trade and commerce. This time the eight countries are expected to sign a host of documents aimed at promoting deeper integration for peace and prosperity in the region. - Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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