BD reaffirms commitment to revitalising SAARC

Staff Reporter :

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, MP, has reiterated her government’s firm support for revitalising the SAARC process, saying Dhaka remains committed to working with member states for regional peace and prosperity.

She made the remarks during a meeting with SAARC Secretary General Md Golam Sarwar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.

“Bangladesh remains unwavering in its support for SAARC,” the State Minister said, stressing the need to “revitalise the process” and strengthen cooperation among member countries.

Recalling the origins of regional cooperation in South Asia, she noted that the idea was first proposed by late President Ziaur Rahman in the early 1980s.

“The vision was to promote people’s welfare and collective self-reliance,” she said.

As a founding member and host of the first SAARC Summit in 1985, Bangladesh values the contributions of all member states in keeping the regional body relevant amid changing global dynamics.

“SAARC continues to foster common regional values,” she said, pointing to cooperation in trade, connectivity, poverty alleviation, climate change, food security, education and public health.

Emphasising the importance of institutional reform, she called for strengthening SAARC’s mechanisms. “We remain committed to the principles of the SAARC Charter,” she added, highlighting sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence and non-interference.

SAARC was formally established in 1985 in Dhaka, following an initiative by late President Ziaur Rahman to promote regional cooperation in South Asia.

The organisation brings together eight countries to advance collaboration in trade, connectivity, poverty reduction, energy, climate change, education and public health. However, the SAARC Summit process has remained stalled since the 18th Summit held in Kathmandu in 2014.

The 19th Summit, scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan in 2016, was postponed after several member states declined to attend following heightened tensions between India and Pakistan.

Since then, deep political distrust, particularly between the two largest members, has prevented the convening of a summit-level meeting.

In the absence of summits, SAARC’s activities have been largely limited to technical and functional cooperation, with no major political breakthrough to revive the leaders’ forum.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), founded by President Ziaur Rahman, has consistently framed SAARC as part of Bangladesh’s strategic diplomatic vision.

BNP leaders have often described regional cooperation as central to economic integration and collective self-reliance in South Asia.

During the 18-month tenure of the interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, there were renewed public calls to revitalise SAARC.

The interim administration emphasised the need to restore regional dialogue and re-energise multilateral platforms.

However, despite diplomatic outreach and rhetorical commitment, no substantive progress was made toward convening a summit or breaking the political deadlock among member states.

Diplomats say that without consensus among key capitals, particularly New Delhi and Islamabad, meaningful revival at the summit level remains difficult.

Against this backdrop, the State Minister’s latest remarks signal Dhaka’s continued interest in seeing SAARC return to an active political track.

“Regional cooperation is not an option, it is a necessity,” she said, underscoring Bangladesh’s readiness to work with all member states to move the process forward.