Bangladesh still sees a ‘huge prospect’ of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to address the challenges of the member states collectively.

“I firmly believe that during this unprecedented hour of global COVID-19 pandemic, platforms like SAARC have huge prospect to reunite the Member States to address collectively the challenges emanating from COVID-19 pandemic,” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said in a message on the 36th SAARC Charter Day 2020.

“We must leverage available trade and investment, public health and security mechanisms and tools of SAARC to reap multifaceted benefits from this forum,” he said.

“We remain strongly committed to working closely with all the friendly countries of the SAARC maintaining a congenial atmosphere of friendship and cooperation,” he said, reiterating his “sincere wishes for the continued peace, progress and prosperity of the peoples of the SAARC Member States”.

The foreign minister extended his greetings to the SAARC Secretary General and members of the SAARC Secretariat and SAARC Specialized Bodies, SAARC Regional Centers and other entities affiliated with SAARC on this special occasion.

SAARC is being seen as a ‘talking shop’ by analysts since there has been no collective achievement of the decades old association. There has been no summit since 2014.

“As a founding member of the SAARC movement, Bangladesh recognises SAARC’s immense potential, prospects and opportunities for the sustainable socio-economic development of the South Asian region,” the foreign minister said.

“Born in Bangladesh as a legacy of the vision of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for regional cooperation, the SAARC has emerged as a full-bloomed regional organisation having the considerable number of effective specialised bodies, regional centers, apex and recognised bodies.

“As we celebrate this year the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation and the Architect of Bangladesh’s Independence, we further reaffirm our strong commitment to strengthen the SAARC Forum as a common platform in South Asia for meaningful regional cooperation,” he said.

“We expect SAARC to deliver wider benefits for the peoples of the South Asian region by overcoming the challenges it is faced with.”