H.E. the Secretary General of SAARC, Ambassador Golam Sarwar had a luncheon meeting with H.E. Mr. Ahmed Khaleel, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives on 29 October 2023 at Kathmandu. Also present at the meeting were Maldivian Foreign Secretary H.E. Mr. Ahmed Latheef, Assistant Director of Foreign Ministry Ms. Aishath Fareen, and Directors at the SAARC Secretariat.

 

 

At the outset, the Secretary General thanked the esteemed Government of Maldives for its support to his appointment and expressed his profound gratitude for its enduring support for regional cooperation. Further, the Secretary General Sarwar underscored that he will make every endeavour to meet the expectations of the esteemed Member States for the shared prosperity of South Asia. After briefing on impending SAARC related matters with the esteemed Government of Maldives by the Secretary General and his Directors to the Maldivian delegation, Secretary General Sarwar underscored the urgent need to immediately start the pending meetings and activities for re-energizing the SAARC process and to win the trust and confidence of the peoples across the region and to enable it to effectively deliver on the hopes and aspirations of teeming millions in the region.

 

 

The State Minister of Maldives felicitated Ambassador Sarwar on his appointment as the fifteenth Secretary General of SAARC and expressed the hope that his vast diplomatic experience and expertise in the bilateral and multilateral arena will bring new spirit in the SAARC process. During the meeting, the State Minister re-assured Maldives’ full support for the Association in all its endeavours and re-affirmed his solidarity and commitments for SAARC process.   Referring to the tradition for the Secretaries General to pay introductory visits to SAARC capitals, he invited the Secretary General to visit the Maldives in a mutually convenient time in the near future.

 

29 October 2023

SAARC Secretariat, Kathmandu