NEW DELHI- India said today it was difficult to proceed with the SouthAsian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) initiative under currentcircumstances.
The issue of organising the SAARC Summit came up for discussion during ameeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart KP Sharma Oli, who is in India on a three-day visit.
“The Prime Minister (Modi) mentioned that he very enthusiasticallyparticipated in the Kathmandu (SAARC) summit, but given the current stateof play where there is cross-border terrorism – and this is a disruptiveforce in the region. It is difficult in such circumstances to proceed withsuch initiatives,” Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale told reporters.
SAARC Summits are usually held biennially hosted by a member state inalphabetical order. The member state hosting the summit assumes the Chairof the Association.
The last SAARC Summit in 2014 was held in Kathmandu, which was attended byPM Modi.
The 2016 SAARC Summit was to be held in Islamabad.