Nepal to initiate talks on holding Saarc Summit

Nepal's Foreign Affairs Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat on Saturday said that Kathmandu would take necessary initiatives and would hold discussions with the member countries to push for holding the 19th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Summit (SAARC).

The SAARC Summit, which is scheduled to take place in Islamabad next month, has been in hot waters after several member countries preferred not to participate in the same.

Mahat said the SAARC member states must be sensitive towards holding the Summit by ensuring the participation of each member, reports the Himalayan Times.

Highlighting that harmonious relations between the member states would enhance utilisation of the association and encourage regional development, Mahat said that SAARC is an important forum for advancing regional cooperation and development.

Earlier this week, India announced that it would not attend the summit conveying the current SAARC chair Nepal that New Delhi is unable to participate in the same in the prevailing circumstances.

After India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka also pulled out of the summit.