I leave today for the 13th SAARC Summit in Dhaka. This Summit will provide an opportunity to focus regional attention on a number of important initiatives that are being pursued by SAARC. We will be considering the various programmes and projects decided upon in the ministerial meetings in areas such as trade, environment, information, health and energy. There will be a special focus on collective approaches towards poverty alleviation and we hope to discuss in detail the SAARC Development Goals formulated for the region. Another important initiative that will be taken up at the Summit will be ways and means of cooperating in the area of disaster preparedness and mitigation.

It is hoped that these initiatives would contribute significantly towards realising the enormous potential for economic, social and cultural cooperation among the member-states of SAARC.

While in Dhaka, I will take the opportunity of bilateral meetings with other SAARC leaders, besides interacting with our hosts. I look forward to having these discussions in a spirit of friendship, cooperation and good-neighbourliness.