Foreign Minister Inam ul Haque, underlining the importance of regional cooperation, Friday termed Saarc as a viable mechanism for promotion of peace, development and progress. The Foreign Minister was talking to Chankyab Dorji, the Saarc Secretary General, who is paying his farewell visit to Pakistan, a Foreign Ministry statement said.
The Foreign Minister stated that Saarc must establish itself as a credible regional organisation and evolve concrete and result-oriented programmes to reflect the aspirations of the people of the region.
He said that in addition to the ongoing programmes, Saarc should also focus on implementing projects in the fields of energy, environment, food and water security.
Chankyab Dorji, the Saarc Secretary General, who is paying his farewell visit to Pakistan, also called on Foreign Secretary Riaz Muhammad Khan. Foreign Minister Inam ul Haque congratulated Dorji on successful completion of his three year term.
The Saarc Secretary General appreciated the valuable contribution of Pakistan for making Saarc a success as well as the support he received during his term of office. He further stated that with the resolve and will of its member states, Saarc has a bright future.
During their meeting, the Saarc Secretary General and Foreign Secretary, Riaz Muhammad Khan exchanged views on the overall progress of Saarc and implementation of its major decisions. The Secretary General informed that during the last three years, SAARC made considerable progress in many areas.
In this context, he referred to the holding of two Saarc summits, expansion of Saarc to include Afghanistan, grant of observer status to the US, EU, China and other important regional countries and finalisation of a number of Saarc agreements including the agreement on the establishment of Saarc Development Fund. The Foreign Secretary expressed satisfaction on these positive developments. He reiterated Pakistan's continued support to Saarc and its activities.
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