The visiting Secretary General of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Dr Sheel Kant Sharma yesterday said stronger bilateral ties among the member countries could help build a stronger Saarc.
He stressed mutual cooperation among the countries of the region for getting maximum benefit from the huge potentials of the member countries, said a press release.
The Saarc secretary general, who arrived in Dhaka on Sunday, made the observations when he called on Foreign Minister Dipu Moni at the Foreign Ministry yesterday afternoon.
Dr Sharma said Saarc was implementing two projects titled 'Empowerment of Women' and 'Maternal and Child Health' under the auspices of the Saarc Development Fund.
The 'Maternal and Child Health' project would be implemented initially in Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. This project aims at providing maternal and child healthcare at grassroots level.
“As the 'birth place' of the organisation, Saarc attaches great importance to Bangladesh,” he added.
Dipu Moni said Bangladesh keeps friendly and cordial relations with the countries of the region.
She referred to the proposed South Asian Taskforce to combat terrorism, which is a common threat to the countries of the region.
She said, “To resolve power crisis, sub-regional initiatives like building mega-power project could be undertaken.”
The minister also laid emphasis on removing non-tariff barriers in the sphere of trade and commerce among the Saarc countries.
She added that mutual cooperation is needed to unlock the potentials of the region with a view to improving the lives of the people.
Dr Sharma said 100 acres of land had been acquired in New Delhi and a CEO had been appointed for South Asian University.
He hoped that the first academic session would start in 2010.
A satellite campus would be established in Dhaka, he added.