Press Release

Secretary-General visits Dhaka

During the visit, the Secretary-General paid a courtesy call on Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh on 19 June 2012.  During the call-on, the Secretary-General apprised the Prime Minister of the current state of regional cooperation under the auspices of SAARC, with a particular reference to the recommendations of the Seventeenth SAARC Summit and their follow-up. The Prime Minister said Bangladesh attached top priority to regional cooperation in South Asia and considered SAARC as a catalyst for regional cooperation aimed at promoting the welfare of the peoples in the region. 

The Secretary-General also called on Her Excellency Dr. Dipu Moni, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh on 19 June 2012. He thanked the Minister for endorsing his nomination as the eleventh Secretary-General of SAARC. He also briefed the Minister on the ongoing activities of the Association. 

Earlier on 19 June 2012, the Secretary-General called on Ambassador Mustafa Kamal, Acting Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh. The Acting Foreign Secretary and the Secretary-General discussed matters pertaining to intra-regional trade and connectivity. They also discussed the imperative to strengthen the SAARC Secretariat.

While in Dhaka, the Secretary-General also visited the SAARC Meteorological Research Centre and SAARC Agriculture Centre. The Secretary-General and the Directors of the two Centres held a wide range of discussions pertaining to their scope of work.