Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman on Tuesday sought recommendations from SAARC Secretary General Md. Golam Sarwar on revitalising the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and bolstering Bangladesh’s proactive involvement in the regional organisation.
The discussions took place during a courtesy call by the Secretary General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the afternoon.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Sarwar noted that the present government is giving special importance to SAARC-related matters, which were notably included in its election manifesto.
“I met the foreign minister and presented a detailed overview of SAARC to him,” Sarwar said, adding that he briefed Khalilur on the organisation’s current status and ongoing activities.
According to the secretary general, the foreign minister expressed interest in the mechanisms required to revitalise the regional body. Based on the current functioning of SAARC, the two officials discussed how the Bangladesh government could assume a leading role in the organisation in the future.
When questioned regarding the potential for a SAARC Summit, Sarwar confirmed that “all issues were discussed” during the exchange.
Earlier on Monday, the SAARC secretary general also held a meeting with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam at the ministry.
