The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister of Nepal, Sushil Koirala, received H. E. Mr. Arjun B. Thapa, Secretary-General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) as part of the latter’s courtesy call on the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister of Nepal at his office today.

The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister of Nepal felicitated H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC on his appointment and wished him every success in his assignment. The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister expressed Nepal’s unwavering commitment to the SAARC process, adding that SAARC is the only viable regional institution in the SAARC region that can promote the welfare of the people of South Asia through enhanced regional economic cooperation.

H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC reciprocated by felicitating the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister of Nepal on his recent appointment as prime Minister of Nepal and by wishing him every success in his important responsibility. He expressed the belief that under the leadership of the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister, Nepal will prosper and the SAARC Secretariat will also receive the needed cooperation from the Government of Nepal.

H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC apprised the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister about the recent developments in SAARC, including those decisions which were taken by the recently concluded Inter-Summit Session of the SAARC Council of Ministers, preceded by the preparatory sessions of the Standing Committee and the Programming Committee. In his presentation, H. E. the Secretary-General made a particular reference to the Comprehensive Study prepared by the Secretariat for strengthening SAARC’s mechanisms, including the SAARC Secretariat and Regional Centres.

The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister of Nepal expressed Nepal’s full support in the strengthening of the SAARC Secretariat. Citing the Comprehensive Study undertaken by the SAARC Secretariat, the Rt. Hon. expressed his happiness that preparatory work has already begun in this connection.

During the meeting, the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister and H. E. the Secretary-General also discussed matters pertaining to the Eighteenth SAARC Summit to be hosted by Nepal in November 2014, which was announced by the delegation of Nepal during the recently concluded inter-Summit Session of the SAARC Council of Ministers.

Mr. Dhan Bahadur Oli, Director, was present at the meeting.

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Secretary-General of SAARC calls on Foreign Minister of Nepal

H. E. Mr. Arjun B. Thapa, Secretary-General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) paid a courtesy call on H. E. Mr. Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, Minister of Foreign Affairs at the latter’s office today.

During the meeting, H. E. the Secretary-General felicitated the Hon. Foreign Minister on his recent appointment. He expressed the hope that under the able guidance of the Hon. Foreign Minister, Nepal will continue to support the process of regional cooperation under the framework of SAARC. He further hoped that the Government of Nepal will extend its fullest cooperation to the SAARC Secretariat as its benign host.
 

The Hon. Foreign Minister and H. E. the Secretary-General exchanged views on a number of issues relating to SAARC and its agenda of cooperation, with a particular reference to the decisions of the inter-Summit Session of the SAARC Council of Ministers that concluded in the Maldives last month. Matters pertaining to the strengthening of SAARC Mechanisms, including the SAARC Secretariat and Regional Centres figured prominently during the discussions.

The Hon. Foreign Minister and H. E. the Secretary-General also discussed several issues with regard to the preparatory work in connection with the Eighteenth SAARC Summit.

During the recently concluded inter-Summit Session of the SAARC Council of Ministers, Nepal offered to host the Eighteenth Summit in Nepal in November 2014.  
Mr. Dhan Bahadur Oli, Director, was also present at the meeting.

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H. E. Mr. Arjun B. Thapa, Secretary-General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) paid a courtesy call on H. E. Mr. Shanker Das Bairagi, Officiating Foreign Secretary at the latter’s office today.

During the meeting, the Foreign Secretary congratulated H. E. Mr. Thapa on his appointment as the twelfth Secretary-General of the Association, which, he added, was a testimony to the trust and confidence reposed in his leadership by the Member States. The Foreign Secretary wished the Secretary-General every success in his important responsibility.

H. E. the Secretary-General expressed the confidence that Nepal will continue to extend its fullest support to promote the ideals of SAARC for the common good of the peoples in the region.

The Secretary-General and the Foreign Secretary discussed a wide range of issues pertaining to the preparatory work in connection with the Eighteenth SAARC Summit to which Nepal will play host in November 2014 as was announced during the inter-Summit Session of the SAARC Council of Ministers held in the Maldives in February 2014.

Mr. Dhan Bahadur Oli, Director, was also present at the meeting.

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H. E. Mr. Arjun B. Thapa assumes office of the Secretary-General of SAARC

H. E. Mr. Arjun Bahadur Thapa of Nepal assumed charge as the Secretary-General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) from 1 March 2014. H. E. Mr. Thapa is the twelfth Secretary-General of the Association and succeeds H. E. Mr. Ahmed Saleem of the Maldives.

H. E. Mr. Thapa was appointed to the position by the Thirty-fifth Session of the SAARC Council of Ministers held in the Maldives on 20 February 2014. Endorsing the nomination from the Government of Nepal, the Council “approved the appointment of H. E. Mr. Arjun Bahadur Thapa as the next Secretary General of SAARC for a three-year term commencing from 1st March 2014.”

Prior to this appointment, H. E. Mr. Thapa served as the Foreign Secretary of Nepal. In his diplomatic career, H. E. Mr. Thapa has also served as Ambassador of Nepal to the United Arab Emirates and as Deputy Permanent Representative/Minister Plenipotentiary as well as Charge d’Affaires, a.i., at the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations in New York.

Born in January 1956, H. E. Mr. Thapa has a Masters’ Degree in International Law.

The Secretaries-General of SAARC are appointed by the Council of Ministers upon nomination by a Member State on the basis of the principle of rotation in alphabetical order for a period of three years.

Launched in December 1985, SAARC comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka as its members.

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