Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi had structured meetings with the Heads of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Maldives after the inaugural session of the 18th SAARC Summit at Kathmandu, today.
During his meeting with the Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Mr. Modi thanked him for pardoning and sending back 5 Indian fishermen to India earlier this month.
These Tamil Nadu-based fishermen who were sentenced to death by Sri lanka’s local court on drug trafficking charges. President Rajapaksa welcomed the initiative of the Indian Prime Minister to develop and launch a Satellite dedicated to SAARC.
MEA Spokesman Sayed Akbarudin has tweeted that India is committed to strengthen relation with Afghanistan where India and Bangladesh see greater role of cooperation among democracies of South Asia. India and Mr. Modi and Maldives President Abdulla Yameen discussed economic ties & maritime cooperation between both the nations.
Prime Minister of Bhutan Mr. Tshering Tobgay who had a first bilateral meeting with Mr. Modi has tweeted that he had a good meeting with him. He welcomed Mr. Modi’s leadership role in SAARC. He said Mr. Modi has invited him to attend Vibrant Gujarat coming January. Mr. Modi has also appreciated Bhutan National reading Year-2015 and assured to send experts who organized ‘Gujarat is reading’.
Earlier, addressing the inaugural function of two-day South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation at Kathmandu today, the Prime Minister said that India's vision for SAARC rests on five pillars of trade, investment, assistance, cooperation and contacts between our people. He said that there is a need to improve connectivity among the people of SAARC region.
Raising the issue of 26/11 incident in Mumbai, on this date six years back in which hundreds of people were killed in the financial capital of the country, Mr. Narendra Modi said we remember the horror of the terror attack in 2008. He said we still see the endless pain of lost lives.
Prime Minister called upon all the SAARC members to work together to fulfill the pledge we have taken to combat terrorism and trans-national crimes. Calling for the sensitivity to each others security and lives of the people, he said this will deepen friendships, spur cooperation and advance stability in our region. Mr. Modi said that India will provide immediate medical visa for patients and attendants from the people of the SAARC region who wish to come to India for medical treatment.
Calling for greater economic cooperation between the nations of the region he said that less than 10 percent region internal trade take place under SAARC Free Trade Area.
