SAARC leaders pledge to strengthen regional cooperation

Heads of state or government of the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) nations adopted the Colombo Declaration here Sunday afternoon, vowing to strengthen cooperation and accelerate economic growth in the region.

The eight-page Colombo Declaration, titled "Partnership for Growth for Our People", was signed by foreign ministers of eight SAARC member countries at the closing session of the 15th SAARC Summit held in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo from Aug. 2-3.

The SAARC leaders noted in the declaration that increased access to energy is critical for fulfilling the legitimate expectations of growth and development in South Asia.

"The escalation of oil prices threatens both the energy security of the region, as well as the economic growth witnessed in South Asia," said the declaration while stressing "the urgent need" to develop the regional hydro potential, grid connectivity and gas pipelines.

On environmental issues, the SAARC leaders reiterated in the declaration the need to intensify cooperation within an expanded regional environmental protection framework, to deal with, in particular, climate change issues.

In the declaration, the SAARC leaders welcomed the agreement on the establishment of the South Asian Regional Standards Organization and the protocol on Afghanistan for its accession to South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA).

On issues relating to combating terrorism, the declaration strongly condemned all forms of terrorist violence and expressed deep concern over the serious threat posed by terrorism to the peace, stability and security of the region.

The SAARC leaders also emphasized the need for strongest possible cooperation in the fight against terrorism and transnational organized crime among the relevant agencies of the member states, especially in the area of information exchange.

The declaration reaffirmed member countries' commitment to strengthen cooperation on other issues like water resources, poverty alleviation, transport, science and technology, tourism, culture and education.

SAARC groups eight countries of South Asia, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka with a population of about 1.5 billion.