Kathmandu: Bangladesh’s new government has reaffirmed strong support for the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) process. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, has reiterated Bangladesh’s unwavering support for the SAARC process and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to working closely with member states to realize the shared vision of peace, stability, and prosperity in South Asia.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh, the State Minister made the remarks during a courtesy call by SAARC Secretary General Md. Golam Sarwar at the Ministry on February 23. The two sides discussed various matters related to SAARC and ways to further strengthen regional cooperation.
Recalling the origins of regional cooperation in South Asia, the State Minister Islam noted that the idea was first proposed by Bangladesh in the early 1980s by late President Ziaur Rahman with the aim of promoting people’s welfare, improving quality of life, and strengthening collective self-reliance. She stated that Bangladesh, as one of the founding members and host of the first SAARC Summit held in Dhaka in December 1985, takes pride in the organization’s continued relevance amid evolving regional and global dynamics.
She emphasized that SAARC remains an important platform for fostering shared regional values and advancing cooperation in key sectors including trade, investment, connectivity, poverty alleviation, energy, climate change, food security, education, public health, culture, and people-to-people contacts.
Underscoring the need to strengthen SAARC’s institutional mechanisms and revitalize its processes, State Minister Islam reiterated Bangladesh’s abiding commitment to the principles enshrined in the SAARC Charter, such as sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence, non-interference in internal affairs, and mutual benefit of the peoples of member states.
