SAARC Update: Nepal To Discuss New Summit Dates With Member States

After Pakistan’s decision to postpone the SAARC summit, a meeting of the member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, following an announcement from five of its members that they won’t attend this year’s summit in Islamabad, the current chair of SAARC, Nepal, has decided to hold talks regarding new dates.

Nepal’s Foreign Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat said the member states needed to be sensitive towards holding the summit and that each of them must ensure their participation.

Mahat added that SAARC was an important forum for advancing regional cooperation and development, emphasising that good relations between member states would improve the utility and purpose of SAARC and encourage regional development.

Earlier, Nepal had said that the summit couldn’t be held in the absence of even one member state, as SAARC works on consensus.