New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today addressed the SAARC summit in Nepal. SAARC or the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is a grouping that comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.
Here are the highlights from his speech:
Here are the highlights from his speech:
- Greetings to observer countries present here...
- The future I dream for India is a future I wish for our entire region
- This is my first SAARC Summit
- But it is second time I am meeting most of you together
- I see a rising tide of integration and negotiations on major trade agreements
- Such as regional comprehensive economic partnership, transpacific partnership
- Ours is a region of thriving democracy
- I see a rising tide of integration and negotiation on major trade agreements
- Nowhere in the world are collective efforts more urgent than in South Asia
- A good neighbourhood is a universal aspiration
- Where does our region stand?
- In the last few months I've travelled around the world, from middle of the Pacific to Atlantic Ocean
- We face the same challenges, a long climb to the summit of development
- When we speak of SAARC we usually hear two reactions; I am sorry to say - cynicism and skepticism
- This is sadly in a region which is throbbing with optimism of our youth
- Today less than 10 percent of region's internal trade under SAARC free trade area
- Indian companies are investing billions abroad but less than one per cent in our region
- It's still harder to travel within our region than Bangkok and Singapore and more expensive to talk to each other
- South Asia is slowly coming together
- India and Bangladesh doing more on roads and power
- India and Nepal doing energy cooperation
- With Sri Lanka we have a free trade agreement and we will soon launch a new agreement to meet needs of Maldives
- Sustained people to people contact between India and Afghanistan
- At SAARC we have failed to move at speed which we want
- Is it because we are stuck behind the walls of our differences and hesitant to move out of shadows of our past?
- This will deprive us of opportunities
- We must use most direct routes of trade. India has to take the lead and we will do our part.
- When I thought of coming to Kathmandu by road it made many officials in India nervous because of condition of roads
- Think of what we are doing to our consumers and environment
- We must reduce distance between producers and consumers and use most direct trade route
- India will do its part
- Infrastructure is our region's greatest weakness
- Infrastructure is my greatest priority in India
- I promise to ensure that our facilities at the border will speed up not slow down trade
- India will give business visas for 3-5 years for SAARC countries
- Let us all make our procedures simpler, facilities better, our standards common and paperwork less burdensome
- We need Cross border industrial corridors
- If we can light up each others towns and villages we can build a brighter tomorrow
- Let us think of electricity as a commodity that you invest and trade in
- Connectivity by rail and road are so important. And also by air. Will not only make a difference to people's lives but also promote tourism in the region
- We should use the strength of shared heritage
- We could begin with Buddhist circuit but don't have to stop there
- India will provide medical visa for patient and one attendant
- We plan to launch our satellite for the SAARC region by the SAARC Day in 2016
- If we are sensitive to each others security and lives of our people it will spur cooperation
- Today as we remember Mumbai terror attack, we feel endless pain of loss of lives
- Let us work together to fulfil pledge to combat terrorism and transnational crimes
- Trade, investment, assistance, cooperation and people contacts
- Age of social media whee boundaries matter little
- In Hindi: We say ek ke saath ek khade hotey hain to ek ek karke numbers rise
- For SAARC nations, call of times, hum paas paas hain par saath saath nahi hain (we are together but we are still not united)
- We are meeting in the lap of Himalayas
- Today it is calling us to act
- Let us work to change cynicism to optimism
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