Arjun Bahadur Thapa, the Secretary General of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), hosted a reception to mark 30^th SAARC Charter Day amidst a special function at the SAARC Secretariat.

The chief guest of the function was Vice President Paramananda Jha. Attended by a large number of dignitaries and high ranking officials from the government, representatives of the diplomatic missions in Kathmandu and people representing the civil society, business community and the media, Secretary General Thapa also addressed the program.

Addressing the gathering, Secretary General Thapa highlighted major issues emanating from the 18th SAARC Summit. “The event takes place barely 10 days after the Eighteenth SAARC Summit. The event this evening is a fitting occasion for all of us to rejoice the successful conclusion of the Eighteenth Summit,” Thapa said.

The SAARC came into being on December 8, 1985 with the adoption of its charter by the heads of state/ government of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan joined SAARC in April 2007 as the eighth member.