Press Release

SG calls on Hon'ble Vice President of Nepal

The Rt. Hon. Parmanand Jha, Vice President of Nepal, received H. E. Mr. Arjun B. Thapa, Secretary-General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) as part of the latter’s introductory calls on the high dignitaries of Nepal.

The Rt. Hon. Vice President of Nepal congratulated H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC on his appointment. The Rt. Hon. Vice President expressed Nepal’s support in making his tenure a success. He also expressed Nepal’s firm commitment to the SAARC process for the common good of the people in the region.

Thanking the Rt. Hon. Vice President for receiving him and for his felicitations on his appointment, H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC briefed the Rt. Hon. Vice President about the SAARC mechanisms, including the Programming Committee, Standing Committee, Council of Ministers and Summit. He also apprised the Rt. Hon. Vice President about SAARC’s eleven Regional Centres, and Specialized Bodies as the SAARC Development Fund and the South Asian University.

The Rt. Hon. Vice President identified the need for SAARC to launch programmes for the overall development of youth in the region as also the farmers who constitute a major segment of the South Asian populace. In this context, the Rt. Hon. Vice President underscored the imperative to launch home-grown projects that best suit the needs and conditions of the Member States in order to bring tangible benefits to the people of the region.

The Rt. Hon. Vice President of Nepal and H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC exchanged views on matters pertaining to the Eighteenth SAARC Summit, which the Government of Nepal will be hosting during November 2014.