Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's speech at banquet hosted by Bangladesh PM

On behalf of the assembled guests, I thank you Madam Chairperson, for your gracious hospitality. Our Association gathers together in Dhaka for the third time in its twenty year history, and we deeply appreciate the traditional warmth of your welcome. Gaining from the experiences and insights of the past two decades, we stand today at the threshold of a new era of more inclusive and more collaborative interaction within SAARC.

South Asia is characterised by an astonishing diversity. Our region is home not only to one-fourth of humanity, but also to some of the greatest linguistic, cultural, literary and civilisational traditions of the world. None of these developed in isolation. Each country's cultural heritage has nourished and enriched the others. This common intellectual legacy enjoins us to come together to bring peace, prosperity and cooperation to our region.

Madam Chairperson, Your Majesty, Excellencies,

It is true that globalisation has created a wealth of new opportunities. But it has also thrown up unprecedented challenges, which none of us can face alone. It is only by harnessing the immense power of regionalism that we can collectively meet these challenges while simultaneously fully utilizing opportunities to our collective advantage. Let us resolve today to seize the opening that history has presented us to realize the dreams we have nurtured for decades, and to work tirelessly for a new dawn of hope and optimism in our region.

Indeed, growing avenues for people-to-people contact have created an atmosphere of increasing optimism and trust. Our South Asian creative community, which shares cultural and intellectual affinities, has taken the lead in this regard. They have transcended political boundaries, using the power of ideas to bring our peoples together. Only a new vision and a new mindset can create new pathways of cooperation and the hope of a better tomorrow.

Madam Chairperson, Your Majesty, Excellencies,

South Asia is like no other place in the world; its challenges are unique and distinctive. The SAARC process is instrumental in addressing and resolving these distinctively South Asian issues. If we truly believe in a shared destiny, then we must work together to address our common challenges. Terrorism is one such challenge. Although it is a global scourge, it affects our region significantly. Let us recall that as early as 1987, we concluded an agreement for Suppression of Terrorism. The Additional Protocol to the SAARC Convention on Suppression of Terrorism, signed at the 12th Summit, reaffirms our commitment to collectively fight this menace. Today, let us renew our resolve to cooperate at all levels to comprehensively eradicate terrorism from our region.

Madam Chairperson, Your Majesty, Excellencies,

If South Asia is to harness its undoubted latent potential, it must become a dynamic component of the larger Asian resurgence. While regional entities like ASEAN forge ahead, and regional cooperation becomes part of the political and economic landscape all around us, we continue to lag behind. And yet we are uniquely poised, at the center of this dynamic economic region. Therefore we must take full advantage of the opportunities emerging around our region.

Next year, India will have the privilege of hosting the 14th SAARC Summit. We look forward to welcoming you in India soon. We hope to use the intervening period to build upon the achievements of this Summit, and our common commitment to the SAARC process, to realize our many goals. Development of our Asian region is of the highest priority for us. We therefore see SAARC as an equal partnership and the vehicle to achieve progress and prosperity in our region.

Your Majesty, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I conclude by conveying to our host, Her Excellency Begum Khaleda Zia, Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, and to the people of Bangladesh, our sincere gratitude for their overwhelming hospitality. May the outcome of this Summit bring our peoples closer than ever before!

Thank you.