Bangladeshi foreign minister sees confidence and goodwill in Saarc

Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Murshid Khan said that there is a lot of confidence and goodwill among the foreign ministers of Saarc countries with reflects the desire of the people in region.
In an interview to a private television channel telecast on Monday, Murshid said, foreign ministers of Saarc countries discussed everything with open mind and sincerity.
There was consensus among all to have an economically strong and prosperous region wherein miseries of the common man are to minimum extent, he said.
He said important among the agreements reached between the Saarc members is the social charter, which directly relates to the common man.
The particular feature of this charter is co-operation in health care, curtailing the ills of society, poverty alleviation, and reform in judicial systems focused to provide relief to the common man, he added.
Regarding extra protocol on terrorism he said earlier it was hard to define terrorism but in post 9/11 conditions, the situation has very much changed.
Word terrorism was in the past confined about activities of religious, political and ethnic groups the concept, which now has considerably changed.
He said the extra protocol on terrorism condemns any terrorism whatsoever. It condemns terrorism in all its form and manifestation, he added.
To a question he said, in European Union 60 percent trade is at inter-regional level while in Asia it also makes a major proportion. Unfortunately, he said, there is only two to three percent mutual trade among the Saarc members, which if raised to a level of 20 to 30 percent in a period of 5 to 7 years will give a major boost to economies of the member countries.
He said there is general consensus among the investors in Western Europe and America that it is East which provides markets to their products.
"We are living in the East and yet looking beyond the market," he added.
He said Saarc will touch its 20th year next year when it meets in Dhaka (Bangladesh) wherein the new commitments would be made to enter it in third decade with the objectives of prosperous and developed region.