Strengthen Saarc cooperation to face Covid-19 challenges: Momen
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has called upon all his counterparts of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) member states to work together in strengthening regional cooperation to fight the challenges posed by Covid-19 pandemic.
He made the call during the virtual 17th Informal Meeting of Saarc Council of Ministers (COM), held on Thursday as a sideline event of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly, a foreign ministry press release said today.
Nepal Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali chaired the meeting attended by foreign ministers of all eight Saarc member states.
In his address, Bangladesh foreign minister underscored the need for revisiting the entire plan of action of Saarc system for effective implementation.
Covid-19 will unfold many new opportunities bringing new areas of cooperation. Again, many existing sectors may either disappear partially or totally or lose relevance as before, he added.
Dr Momen called upon his colleagues to consider convening of meeting of foreign secretaries to regularise many pending recommendations by other lower functional bodies of Saarc and work out ways to make the South Asian forum more effective during the post Covid-19 recovery efforts by the member states.
On the occasion of celebration of the birth centenary of Bangabandhu this year, he reaffirmed Bangladesh's strong commitment to strengthen Saarc Forum as a common platform in South Asia for effective regional cooperation.
Dr Momen reiterated the proposal made by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the video conference of the south Asian leaders held in March to establish a Saarc Public Health Research Institute in Dhaka to find solutions to Covid-19 as well as future similar public health threats.
He also said sectors like food and agriculture, public health, ICT, trade and investment are likely to require more focus during the post Covid-19 period.
The foreign ministers of other Saarc countries also reviewed the regional efforts in combating Covid-19 and put emphasis on further strengthening regional cooperation in the wake of the pandemic.
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