Pakistan calls for building bridges, trust in South Asia

NEW YORK: Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar Thursday underscored the need for building bridges and enhancing trust amongst the South Asian countries at an informal gathering of the SAARC Foreign Ministers here.

The informal meeting, on the margins of the 66th session of the UN General Assembly, was convened by the Maldives, the incoming chairman to initiate discussions on the outcome of the 17th SAARC Summit.

Foreign Ministers of India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and senior officials from other SAARC counties attended the meeting.

In brief remarks, Ms. Khar called for rapid progress towards consolidation of agreements and decisions taken during the past SAARC Summits.

She particularly highlighted the need for addressing climate change in the context of the Thimpu Statement on Climate Change adopted in April 2010 by the 16th SAARC Summit.

The foreign minister reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to the ideals and Charter of the SAARC, and said that collective benefits must accrue through their cooperation among SAARC countries.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to the Foreign Minister Khar and External Affairs minister S.M. Krishna to have a brief exchange of courtesies, a press release of the Pakistan Mission to the UN said. Krishna enquired about floods in Pakistan and expressed sympathy on the situation.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011