The Thirty-Fifth Session of the SAARC Ministers of Foreign/External Affairs was held in the Maldives on 20th February 2014.  The meeting was inaugurated by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, President of the Republic of Maldives.   This was preceded by Fortieth Session of the Standing Committee, 6th Special Session of the Standing Committee and Forty-fifth Session of the Programming Committee during 17-19 February, 2014, with participation from all SAARC Member States.

The Foreign/External Affairs Ministers of SAARC Member States had last met in Addu City, Maldives in November, 2011.

During these meetings, the whole gamut of issues related to co-operation amongst Member States of SAARC were discussed, including strengthening of SAARC Mechanism.  

The Council was unanimous in applauding the out-going Secretary-General, H.E. Mr. Ahmed Saleem, for his stewardship in taking the SAARC process forward.  The Council also approved the appointment of Mr. Arjun Bahadur Thapa, former Foreign Secretary, Government of Nepal, as the new Secretary-General of SAARC.  H.E. Mr. Ahmed Saleem demits office on 28th February, 2014.

During the meeting, Nepal also announced hosting the Eighteenth Summit of Heads of SAARC Member States sometime in November, 2014.

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The 45th Session of the SAARC Programming Committee was held on 17 February 2014 in the Bandos Island Resort, the Maldives.

H.E. Mr. Hassan Shifau, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of the Republic of Maldives and Chair for the Meeting opened the Session by welcoming the delegates from all Member States and SAARC Secretariat.

In his opening remarks, H.E. Mr. Ahmed Saleem, Secretary-General of SAARC updated the Committee on the implementation of the decisions taken at the Forty-fourth Session of the Programming Committee (SAARC Secretariat, 9-11 December 2013).

The Programming Committee deliberated on a number of issues of cooperation and financial and administrative matters of SAARC. Delegations from all the SAARC Members attended the Meeting.

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The Thirty-Fifth Session of the SAARC Ministers of Foreign/External Affairs will be held in the Maldives on 20th February 2014. This would be preceded by Fortieth Session of the Standing Committee, 6th Special Session of the Standing Committee and Forty-fifth Session of the Programming Committee during 17-19 February, 2014. All Member States will participate in these meetings..

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H. E. Mr. Ahmed Saleem, Secretary-General of SAARC, paid a farewell call on H. E. Mr. Shanker Das Bairagi, Foreign Secretary of Nepal.  

At the start of the meeting, the Secretary-General thanked the Foreign Secretary for finding time to receive him. The Secretary-General also congratulated the Foreign Secretary on his new and important assignment.

In his briefing, the Secretary-General acknowledged that the establishment of the Association has largely contributed to the maintenance of peace in the region, besides opening up ample vistas for effective regional cooperation. He stated that there is much that SAARC could achieve for the common good of the people in the region. He further said that in order to make SAARC a robust organization, the SAARC Secretariat has recently conducted a comprehensive Study to strengthen its mechanisms, including the Secretariat, Regional Centres and Specialized Bodies of SAARC.

In his remarks, the Foreign Secretary emphasized upon the need to develop and implement sub-regional and regional projects that bring about tangible benefits for the people of South Asia. He laid emphasis on strengthening people-to-people contacts through people-centric programs and projects.   He also stressed on the need to strengthen the SAARC Secretariat to meet the ever-increasing ambit of regional cooperation under the auspices of the Association.

The Secretary-General thanked the Foreign Secretary for the support and cooperation extended to him and the Secretariat by the Government of Nepal as the host.

The Foreign Secretary complimented the Secretary-General for the exemplary leadership he provided to the Secretariat in taking forward the process of regional cooperation.

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

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