India on Saturday said it was difficult to proceed with a summit for member nations of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation, given the existence of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan, PTI reported. The last summit was held in 2014 in Kathmandu.
Islamabad was scheduled to host the 2016 SAARC summit, but most members backed out following India’s withdrawal from the event in the wake of the terrorist attack on an Army camp in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, in September that year. Pakistan had recently asked Nepal and Sri Lanka for support in convening a summit in Islamabad this year.
The topic came up when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his Nepalese counterpart KP Sharma Oli on Saturday. Oli is in India on a three-day visit.
“The Prime Minister [Modi] mentioned that he very enthusiastically participated in the Kathmandu [SAARC] summit, but given the current state of play where there is cross-border terrorism – and this is a disruptive force in the region – it is difficult in such circumstances to proceed with such initiatives,” Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale told reporters.
“While India is very supportive of all regional connectivity and regional cooperation issues, the views expressed by the Prime Minister was Prime Minister Oli was well aware of the circumstances,” Gokhale said.
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