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By Our Reporter

On the occasion of the historic 40th Anniversary of the Charter of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Secretary General Md. Golam Sarwar hosted a reception in Kathmandu on December 9.

Ramsahay Prasad Yadav, Vice President of Nepal, attended the function as the chief guest. The reception was attended by the high dignitaries of Nepal, ambassadors and representatives of the embassies of the member states, observer states, heads of diplomatic missions and international organizations in Kathmandu, representatives of business community and civil society, editors and reporters of media houses and people from all walks of life.

Heads of States/Governments as well as the foreign ministers of SAARC member states issued dedicatory messages on December 8 to commemorate this momentous day. In their messages, the Heads of State/Government and Ministers of Foreign Affairs have underscored the importance of SAARC as a shared platform to foster mutual understanding, collaboration and solidarity in order to build a peaceful, prosperous and integrated South Asia.

Reaffirming their commitment to the ideals and founding objectives as articulated in the Charter, the leaders also acknowledged the imperatives of concerted efforts and meaningful action to harness economic potentials, achieve sustained and equitable development, and to address the shared challenges confronting the region bound by history, culture and destiny.

Addressing the reception in Kathmandu, Ambassador Sarwar briefly reflected on the journey SAARC has made so far. With its focus on institutional strengthening and norm setting in priority areas to the implementation of programs in the first forty years, to now aiming for global outreach, SAARC has made tremendous progress in both scope and substance, he said.

Extending gratitude to the member states, observer states, development partners, diplomatic missions, regional and international organizations for their invaluable cooperation and support to SAARC through all these years, Sarwar also wished for their continued goodwill and steadfast support in the years to come as well.

Earlier, the Secretary General had also issued a message to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the SAARC Charter on December 8.

It may be mentioned that the Heads of State/Government of seven South Asian countries launched SAARC by adopting its Charter at the First Summit held in Dhaka, Bangladesh on December 8, 1985. Since then, December 8 is observed as the SAARC Charter Day every year across the South Asia region.