SAARC promises eluded us, India must push ahead with sub-

Asserting that efforts of cooperation with Pakistan have not yielded desired progress and promises of regional integration among SAARC countries have "eluded" us, President Pranab Mukherjee today said India must "push ahead" with like-minded neighbouring countries for sub-regional cooperation.
Addressing a function here, he said beyond bilateral cooperation, SAARC remains the main plank of country's integration strategy with our South Asian neighbours.
"However, the South Asian landscape and its geo-politics present its own set of challenges. Despite geographical contiguity, the promise of regional integration among SAARC countries has eluded us and undermined the goals of SAARC, solemnly adopted at Summit level meetings.

"Hence India must push ahead with sub-regional cooperation such as through the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal or BBIN Growth Quadrangle and pursue its bilateral ties with like-minded countries in the region in the areas such as Road transport, Energy and Water resources," the President said.
Mukherjee cited resolution of Land Boundary Agreement and settling of maritime boundary with Bangladesh, supply of water to Maldives, immediate assistance to Nepal after tragic earthquake, close cooperation with Bhutan and proactive engagement with Sri Lanka to pursue this strategy.
"All this has yielded positive results...With Pakistan, our efforts have not yielded desired progress for the reasons that are known to all of you," he said, during the concluding conference on Cooperative Development, Peace and Security in South and Central Asia at the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID) here.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation or SAARC is a grouping of eight nations -- India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.