All the head of the governments and the prime ministers of eight South Asian countries arrived in Kathmandu to take part in 18^th SAARC Summit.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, Bhutanese Prime Minister Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay, Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi,  Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived for the regional summit.

As bilateral relations between India and Pakistan have deteriorated, all the media are looking for a meeting between Indian Prime minister Modi and Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Although nothing is said about the meeting, there is speculation that there will make certain breakthrough.  

Ministerial meeting of South Asian Foreign ministers agreed on a number of issues under SAARC areas of cooperation like reports related to poverty alleviation and achievements of SAARC development, regional structure for nutrition, work procedure for sanitation and future step for economic union.

Speaking in the meeting, Minister for Foreign Affairs Mahendra Bahadur Pandey said though the SAARC has not achieved the expected progress; it has developed mutual understanding and cooperation among the member states and this summit will be success in this regard.

Minister Pandey reiterated for making common efforts to extend trade activities in the region, strengthening people to people relations, utilizing the maximum possibility of energy sectors and restructuring the SAARC.

He said common efforts is needed to alleviate the poverty in the region as the large number of people live in the region in comparison to other such regional organizations.

SAARC Secretary General Arjun Bahadur Thapa also presented a periodical analytical report in the meeting. “The earlier meeting of the Standing Committee, comprising the Foreign Secretaries of the SAARC member countries, had also considered relocating the Kathmandu-based SAARC Secretariat. However, the relocation place is under the discussion,” reports My Republica.