The 17th SAARC Summit concluded today in Maldives a short while ago. Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed presided over the closing ceremony. The Heads of the State and Governments unanimously adopted the Addu declaration. It was decided that the next SAARC Summit will be held in Nepal.

Foreign Ministers of the SAARC nations today signed four agreements. Two agreements on regional standards, one to establish a rapid response mechanism to deal with natural disasters, and another to establish a SAARC Seed Bank. The eight observer countries who participated in the Summit also presented their observations at the closing meeting. Afghan President Hamid Karzai was however not present in the closing ceremony.