H. E. Mr. Ahmed Saleem, Secretary-General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) called on H. E. Mr. Arjun Bahadur Thapa, the newly appointed Foreign Secretary of Nepal at the latter’s office today.

During the call-on, the Secretary-General felicitated H. E. Mr. Thapa on his elevation to the position of Foreign Secretary with effect from 22 July 2013. Prior to this appointment, H. E. Mr. Thapa was Joint Secretary dealing with SAARC and the Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry.

The Secretary-General also congratulated H. E. Mr. Thapa on joining the distinguished fraternity of the SAARC Standing Committee by virtue of this appointment. The Standing Committee comprises Foreign Secretaries of the eight Member States and is an important policy-making body of the Association.

During the meeting, the Secretary-General briefed the Foreign Secretary on the current status of regional cooperation. The Secretary-General sought the support of Nepal in convening the inter-Summit Session of the SAARC Council of Ministers, which has been postponed for several times as the dates announced by the Maldives, as the current Chair, were found inconvenient to one or the other Member State.  He also expressed the confidence that the convening of the inter-Summit Session of the Council will also pave the way for the Eighteenth SAARC Summit to be hosted by Nepal in the near future.

Concluding his remarks, the Secretary-General thanked the Government of Nepal for hosting the SAARC Secretariat and extending all possible support and cooperation to facilitate its smooth functioning.

Welcoming the gesture of the Secretary-General, the Foreign Secretary thanked the Secretary-General for his warm sentiments on his appointment. He also thanked the Secretary-General for his exemplary leadership in guiding the affairs of SAARC and its Secretariat. He reciprocated the Secretary-General’s concerns on the need to convene early the inter-Summit Session of the Council to clear the backlog of work resulting out of its frequent postponements. As a founding member of SAARC and the host of the SAARC Secretariat, Nepal is committed to extend support not only to the Secretariat but to the SAARC process as a whole, the Foreign Secretary asserted. 

Mr. Ibrahim Zuhuree, Director, SAARC Secretariat was also present at the meeting.

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H.E. Mr. Ahmed Saleem, Secretary-General, SAARC called on H.E. Mr. Jayant Prasad, Ambassador of India to Nepal today and expressed that he and his colleagues at the SAARC Secretariat were deeply saddened over the loss of many lives and damage to the colossal property, caused by the recent floods in the Indian State of Uttrakhand.   He conveyed his deepest condolences to the members of the bereaved families.  

Secretary-General praised the bravery and unity that the people of India have demonstrated at these tragic moments and expressed confidence that the country and the people of India would soon be able to overcome the sufferings caused by this unprecedented calamity.

Secretary-General also presented a Cheque for US$1249 to the Ambassador of India, as a token of contribution from the officials of the SAARC Secretariat, to the Indian Government’s Relief Fund.

It may be recalled that the Secretary-General had also recently met the Foreign Secretary of Nepal and donated a sum of US$1249/- to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund, Nepal.

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H.E. Mr. Ahmed Saleem, Secretary-General, SAARC called on H.E. Mr. Durga Prasad Bhattarai, Foreign Secretary of Nepal today and expressed that he and his colleagues at the SAARC Secretariat were deeply saddened over the loss of many lives and damage to the colossal property, caused by the recent floods in the western region of Nepal.

He conveyed his deepest condolences to the members of the bereaved families. Secretary-General praised the bravery and unity that the People of Nepal have demonstrated at these tragic moments and expressed confidence that the Country and the people of Nepal would soon be able to overcome the sufferings caused by this unprecedented calamity.

Secretary-General also presented a Cheque for US$1249 to the Foreign Secretary of Nepal, as a token of contribution from the officials of the SAARC Secretariat, to the Nepal Government’s Relief Fund.

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H. E. Mr. Ahmed Saleem, Secretary-General of SAARC and H. E. Dr. Roland F. Steurer, Country Director, GIZ, Nepal, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective institutions.

The signing ceremony took place over a function organized at the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu that was attended by representatives of SAARC and GIZ and its partners. Also present on the occasion were the resident Ambassadors of Pakistan and Sri Lanka to Nepal.

Prior to the signing of the MoU, H. E. Mr. Saleem addressed the modest gathering present on the occasion. In his address, he stated, “We are at a crucial stage in SAARC for deepening economic, trade and financial cooperation among the member countries. With this MoU in place, the SAARC Secretariat looks forward to engaging itself meaningfully with GIZ and its partners for the common benefit of the peoples of our region.”

Addressing the signing ceremony, H. E. Mr. Frank Meyke, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Nepal highlighted the importance the German Government attached to collaboration with SAARC in accelerating the process of economic integration in South Asia.

In his key-note address, Dr. Roland Steurer, Country Director of GIZ, Nepal, spoke of the key elements of the MoU.  He also recalled the process that underwent over the years in developing the MoU between SAARC and GIZ.

Among others, H. E. Mr. Glenn White, Ambassador of Australia to Nepal also addressed the function. Mr. Zubair Malik, Representative of the SAARC-Trade Promotion Network delivered a special Address.

On the occasion, Mr. Amrit Lugun, Director, SAARC Secretariat delivered a welcome address while Mr. Horst Ammann, Programme Manager, SAARC-TPN of GIZ gave a vote of thanks.

The MoU signed between SAARC and GIZ envisages cooperation between the two organizations in promoting intra-regional trade and economic integration in South Asia.  The MoU that is valid for ten years is renewable upon mutual consent of the two parties.

Earlier in 2003, SAARC had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Metrology Institute of Germany (PTB) to promote collaboration among SAARC Member States in the fields of metrology, standards, testing, quality management, accreditation and certification with the technical assistance of PTB.

H. E. Mr. Ahmed Saleem, Secretary-General of SAARC and H. E. Dr. Roland F. Steurer, Country Director, GIZ, Nepal, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective institutions.

The signing ceremony took place over a function organized at the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu that was attended by representatives of SAARC and GIZ and its partners. Also present on the occasion were the resident Ambassadors of Pakistan and Sri Lanka to Nepal.

Prior to the signing of the MoU, H. E. Mr. Saleem addressed the modest gathering present on the occasion. In his address, he stated, “We are at a crucial stage in SAARC for deepening economic, trade and financial cooperation among the member countries. With this MoU in place, the SAARC Secretariat looks forward to engaging itself meaningfully with GIZ and its partners for the common benefit of the peoples of our region.”

Addressing the signing ceremony, H. E. Mr. Frank Meyke, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Nepal highlighted the importance the German Government attached to collaboration with SAARC in accelerating the process of economic integration in South Asia.

In his key-note address, Dr. Roland Steurer, Country Director of GIZ, Nepal, spoke of the key elements of the MoU.  He also recalled the process that underwent over the years in developing the MoU between SAARC and GIZ.

Among others, H. E. Mr. Glenn White, Ambassador of Australia to Nepal also addressed the function. Mr. Zubair Malik, Representative of the SAARC-Trade Promotion Network delivered a special Address.

On the occasion, Mr. Amrit Lugun, Director, SAARC Secretariat delivered a welcome address while Mr. Horst Ammann, Programme Manager, SAARC-TPN of GIZ gave a vote of thanks.

The MoU signed between SAARC and GIZ envisages cooperation between the two organizations in promoting intra-regional trade and economic integration in South Asia.  The MoU that is valid for ten years is renewable upon mutual consent of the two parties.

Earlier in 2003, SAARC had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Metrology Institute of Germany (PTB) to promote collaboration among SAARC Member States in the fields of metrology, standards, testing, quality management, accreditation and certification with the technical assistance of PTB.

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