Oli seeks fresh impetus to stalled regional bloc

Kathmandu, December 8

Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Tuesday urged the SAARC member states to give fresh impetus to the stalled regional body, saying time has come to move forward with "concrete action" on the ground with needed political will and commitment.

36th Charter Day of SAARC

• On the 36th Charter Day of SAARC, KP Oli said the special day will “inspire all of us to foster mutual trust, understanding and cooperation as well as to deepen regional integration for peace”.
• “Time has come to move forward with concrete action in the ground with needed political will. Giving fresh impetus to the stalled SAARC process can rekindle hope among our people," Nepal PM said.

In his message on the occasion of the 36th Charter Day of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Oli said the special day will “inspire all of us to foster mutual trust, understanding and cooperation as well as to deepen regional integration for peace and prosperity”.

“Time has come to move forward with concrete action in the ground with needed political will and commitment," said Oli, whose country has been holding the chairmanship of the SAARC grouping since 2014.

"Giving fresh impetus to the stalled SAARC process can rekindle hope among our people and provide ground to move forward," he added.

SAARC has not been very effective since 2016 as its biennial summits have not taken place since the last one in Kathmandu in 2014.

The 2016 SAARC summit was to be held in Islamabad. But after the terrorist attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir on September 18 that year, India expressed its inability to participate in the summit due to "prevailing circumstances". The summit was called off after Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also declined to participate in the Islamabad meet.

Oli said that the SAARC Charter characterises South Asia's shared vision, collective resolve and mutual pursuit to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the region through eradication of poverty, accelerated economic growth and advancement in socio-cultural development. — PTI