Nepal has proposed to host the 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit and the preceding meetings in November 2014.
The meeting of the SAARC Council of Ministries held in the Bandos Island of the Maldives, on Thursday welcomed Nepal's offer to host the Summit.
The Foreign/External Affairs deliberated upon a number of core issues of regional cooperation under SAARC such as trade, finance, investment, poverty alleviation, connectivity, energy and infrastructure and made decisions towards further enhancing regional cooperation during the meeting, stated a press release issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Ministers of Foreign/External Affairs of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka attended the meeting.
Shanker Das Bairagi, Officiating Foreign Secretary of the Government of Nepal, led the Nepalese delegation to the meeting.
It was inaugurated by Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, President of the Republic of the Maldives and chaired by Dunya Maumoon, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Maldives, the press statement reads.
Similarly, the meeting formally approved Nepal's nomination of Arjun Bahadur Thapa, former Foreign Secretary, as the 12th secretary-general of SAARC for a period of three years commencing from 1st march 2014.
At the end of the meeting, Bairagi proposed a vote of thanks, on behalf of the delegation of Nepal, as the incoming Chair of SAARC.
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