KATHMANDU, September 28 (Nepal Foreign Affairs)–Nepal, on Wednesday, asked all member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation to ensure their participation in the upcoming 19th SAARC Summit to be held on November 9-10 in Islamabad, Pakistan.
The Nepal government’s statement has come after the SAARC member states India, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh decided not to participate in the SAARC Summit to be organised by Pakistan.
“The government of Nepal has received communications from the SAARC Secretariat transmitting the diplomatic notes from four SAARC member states namely, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and India in which they have conveyed their inability to participate in the 19th SAARC summit scheduled for November 9 and 10, 2016 in Islamabad stating that current regional environment is not conducive to the successful holding of the Summit. We have taken this development seriously,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday evening.
As the current chair of SAARC, the government of Nepal has strongly urged that a conducive environment be created for the 19th SAARC Summit soon by ensuring the participation of all member states in line with the spirit of the SAARC Charter.