- South Asia, the dream, cannot be a success story unless all the South Asians get the opportunity to enrich their motherland with their energy and aspirations.
- South Asia, the idea, cannot be a success story unless we feed well the curious minds of South Asians, unless we equip well their dexterous hands and unless we nourish well their creative aspirations.
- South Asia, the future, cannot be a success story unless we invest in our youths. Our cooperation must work to stimulate the creation of jobs for our youths. We should strive to best utilise the dexterity of these youths, strive to retain their energy. We need to invest in the productive sectors. Sectors, which are essential to halt the exodus of youths and enable to make them contribute for better and developed South Asia.
- SAARC, the association, cannot be a success story unless we lift our people out of poverty and deprivation.
Kathmandu, March 17
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Thursday addressed the inaugural segment of the 37th Session of the SAARC Council of Ministers in Pokhara.
South Asia is emerging as the potential global economic powerhouse, PM Oli noted welcoming the guests in the beautiful Lake City, stressing the need to build on this economic progress and its associated positive synergies and complementarities for promotion of enhanced cooperation in line with the objectives of the SAARC.
Describing poverty and backwardness as the common, pervasive and stubborn enemy of South Asia that is draining its potentials, that is ridiculing our collective efforts and threatening the whole of South Asia, PM Oli stressed the need for collaborative efforts to conquer it. We need to intensify our cooperation to wipe out the very traces of this enemy, he said, adding: We have the capacity and resources to do so. “What we need is the political will of highest order to cooperate and to collaborate in a spirit of enduring partnership.”
PM Oli also dwelt on the importance of South Asian connectivity. He said: Connectivity remains a key enabler for robust regional cooperation. Connectivity of infrastructures as well as of ideas, connectivity in terms of information and telecommunication technology as well as of knowledge, connectivity in terms of energy as well as of literature and culture, connectivity of markets as well as of minds can indeed unleash the potential of South Asian cooperation, he pointed. The dream of prosperous South Asia cannot survive without the lifeline of connectivity, he said.
The PM stressed the need to vitalise trade, the engine of economic prosperity, for development of South Asia. “It is unfortunate to note that we trade little within the region,” he said, stressing the need for faster progress in SAFTA and SATIS. In the absence of such doable core instruments, the vision of South Asia Economic Union will merely remain a distant dream, he said.
When the world today is going through unprecedented waves of globalisation, South Asia cannot be a bystander to the happenings of world. SAARC must revitalise itself to be an important player in the global forward looking endeavour. We need to strengthen our collaboration and intensify our interactions with other international and regional organisations; with organisations that share similar goal for the prosperity of common humanity.
Making mention of last year’s mega earthquakes in Nepal that killed around 9,000 people, rendered thousands homeless and caused infrastructure losses worth trillions of rupeees, Prime Minister Oli pointed that the entire region has been bearing the heavy brunt of unprecedented blow of natural calamities. We have been bearing the adverse and disproportionate consequences of climate change, he said, calling for collective preparedness, collective responsiveness and collective collaboration.
Outlining his vision for the region, PM Oli said SAARC must be established as the region where women are safe, where children are secure, and where they will live with dignity, with freedom from fear.
He expressed hope that this ministerial meeting will mainly focus on review of the implementation of the decisions contained in the Kathmandu Declaration 2014 and will work out agendas for consideration at the 19th Summit to be held in Pakistan in November this year. Oli expressed confidence that the delegates will take concrete decisions to advance the SAARC process forward in line with the spirit of the 18th SAARC Summit-Deeper Integration for Peace and Prosperity.
