Australia and Myanmar joined as observers the eight-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, SAARC at its 16th summit in Bhutan. China, Iran, European Union, Japan, South Korea, the US and Mauritius already have observer status in the SAARC. Both the countries expressed gratitude for their inclusion in the Grouping as observers. About the Summit, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said, SAARC is the most important regional cooperation organisation in South Asia and stressed that there has been constant progress in its relationship with the grouping.