08 February 2011, Male': Foreign Ministers of Eight Member States of SAARC yesterday concluded the Thirty-Third Session of the Council of Ministers in Thimphu, Bhutan. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, H.E Ahmed Naseem, Special Envoy for South Asia Ms. Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed and Permanent Secretary, Mr. Mohamed Naseer represented the Maldives in this Meeting.
Addressing the meeting, H.E Mr. Ahmed Naseem said that among the priority areas SAARC should focus on are Climate Change, Regional Connectivity and Disaster Response Mechanism and increasing intra-regional trade under SAFTA. He stressed upon establishment of Indian Ocean Cargo and Passenger Ferry Service and its eventual linkage to SAARC Multimodal Transport Network.
He called for a comprehensive review of on-the-ground effectiveness of SAARC. He said that Maldives will submit a proposal on strengthening of the SAARC Secretariat and rationalization of SAARC mechanism and activities.
This meeting also endorsed the government of Maldives nomination of H.E Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed for the post of the next Secretary General of SAARC, she will assume her responsibilities on first of March 2011. The Government of Maldives also extended its appreciation to the outgoing Secretary General of the SAARC H.E Dr. Sheel Kant Sharma for his exemplary service to SAARC during his tenure.
The delegation of the Maldives also informed the council about the preparation of the Seventeenth SAARC Summit in the South Province of the Maldives.
On the margins of the meeting, the State Minister held bilateral meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bhutan, H.E Mr. Lyonpo Kangdu Wangchuck, the Minister of External Affairs of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Professor G.L. Peiris and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, H.E. Dr. Zalmai Rassoul.
END
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fathulla Jameel Building, Malé, 20077, Republic of Maldives, | Tel Number: 00960 332-3400 | Emergency Contact: 00960 798-3400