The Maldives today, in its capacity as Chair of SAARC, hosted an Informal Meeting of the SAARC Council of Ministers on the sidelines of the sixty-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly. This will be the last time Maldives hosts a SAARC Council of Ministers ahead of Nepal taking over the Chairmanship in November 2014.
Speaking at the Meeting, Minister Dunya recalled the landmark decisions that have been taken, and the important discussions that have been held during the past year. She thanked the SAARC Members for the support extended to the Maldives, and reiterated Maldives hope to see a SAARC that is relevant and robust in an ever-changing world.
The Ministers thanked the Maldives for its leadership of SAARC over the past three years, and discussed ways in which the institutional mechanism could be further strengthened and adapted. The Ministers also heard a briefing from the Secretary General, and from Nepal about the preparations for the Eighteenth SAARC Summit.
ENDS
