‘Addu Declaration’: SAARC summit concludes with 20-point agenda

A string of agreements reached among the 8 member group including one on railways and motor vehicles.

ADDU, MALDIVES: South Asian leaders ended the 17th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) on Friday with a promising 20-point agenda reaffirming its commitment to peace, liberty, democracy, mutual respect, good governance and protection of human rights.

Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed said the eight-member group agreed to increase trade and economic cooperation through a string of agreements, including one on railways and motor vehicles.

There were no specific deadlines, but Nasheed said their foreign ministers were asked to work on time lines and other details. Expressing deep concern over the continuing threat of terrorism in all its forms, the summit reiterated its resolve to fight all such menaces. They also agreed to set up a mechanism to deal with piracy in the Indian Ocean.

The summit, through the “Addu Declaration”, also renewed its firm commitment to alleviate poverty and reduce income inequalities within societies and reaffirmed its resolve to improve the quality of life and well-being of their people.

Through the declaration, the summit asked SAARC finance ministers to prepare a proposal that would allow greater flow of financial capital and intra-regional long term investment.

In his concluding remarks, chairman of the summit and President of Maldives Mohammed Nasheed said the summit agreed to promote connectivity and people-to-people relations.

Nasheed welcomed the easing in tensions between India and Pakistan and saw it as a boost to the SAARC.

The US, which is an observer of SAARC, also welcomed the easing of Indo-Pakistan tensions and said increasing trade and economic cooperation could also form a solid basis for political ties.

“The recent developments (between India and Pakistan) offer reason for significant hope,” US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert told the summit on Friday.

Before adopting the agenda, the 17th SAARC Summit signed four agreements including SAARC Agreement on Rapid Response to National Disasters, SAARC Agreement on Multilateral Arrangement on Recognition of Conformity Assessment, SAARC Agreement on Implementation of Regional Standards and SAARC Seed Bank Agreement.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th,  2011.