Esala Ruwan Weerakoon, Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), paid an introductory courtesy call on the Bidhya Devi Bhandari, President of Nepal on Wendesday.

During the call on, President felicitated the Secretary General on his appointment as the fourteenth Secretary General of SAARC. President underscored the need of early convening of the Nineteenth SAARC Summit and stated that Nepal, as the current Chair of SAARC, has been making continuous efforts and consultations with other Member States to create a conducive environment for the next Summit. SAARC has an important role to play in tackling the common regional problems and challenges like COVID-19 Pandemic and poverty in South Asia, President said. She also expressed confidence that the Secretary General would play an active role to further strengthen the SAARC process.

While appreciating the valuable support given to the SAARC Secretariat by the Government of Nepal, the Secretary General expressed the hope that he would be able to receive similar support and guidance from the Government of Nepal in discharging his responsibility as the Secretary General. The Secretary General expressed his gratitude to the Government of Nepal for endorsing his nomination as the Secretary General of SAARC. The Secretary General assumed office on 01 March 2020.