Dr Singh:SAARC nations to join hands

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said inaugurating the 5th Conference of Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians in New Delhi this evening,asking the SAARC nations for closer cooperation in various spheres for bilateral and multilateral inclusive growth, Dr. Singh opined that no country can prosper in isolation. He stressed sharing of common knowledge and resources. Calling for resolving the differences among the nations peacefully, Dr. Singh said the region will not be able to realise its full potential unless it develops a culture of solving the problems on its own. Dr. Singh said that India provides opportunities for all of South Asia to benefit from its economic growth and vast market. He reminded that India has already granted open access to its market for common regional economic growth. Deliberating on intro-regional trade since the introduction of South Asian Free Trade Area in 2006, he said that it has grown to the tune of 1.2 billion US Dollars. 2010 - 2020 has been declared as the Decade of Intro-regional Connectivity in SAARC. The SAARC Development Fund is now well-established and the SAARC Regional Food Bank has been set up to meet food emergencies in the region. Prime Minister said that India remains firmly committed to principles and ideals of SAARC and will go the extra mile to make SAARC an effective organisation that benefits all citizens of South Asia. In her welcome address, the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Chairman of the Conference Mrs. Meira Kumar said that Parliamentarians as the keepers of the people's will must understand the importance of democratic institutions that encourage social cohesion and inclusiveness. Nearly 130 delegates and observers from the eight SAARC countries are attending the four day Conference. Afghanistan, which became the eighth member of SAARC in 2007, formally joined the Conference today. The Conference will be deliberate mainly on two subjects -Strengthening Trust between Parliament and People and Sustainable Development in SAARC countries.