DOCUMENT No. 3 
 

Address by the Foreign Minister of Pakistan at the
 Inaugural Session of the SAARC Council of Ministers

25th Session of SAARC Council of Ministers, Islamabad 20 July 2004

Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain,

Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,

Foreign Ministers from SAARC member states,

Mr. Secretary General,

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am grateful to you Mr. Prime Minister for your kind and gracious consent to inaugurate the 2Sth Session of the SAARC Council of Ministers.

        We are delighted by the presence in our midst today of our friends from all the sisterly states of South Asia. We welcome them most heartily and wish them a pleasant and comfortable stay in Islamabad.

        The 12th SAARC Summit held in Islamabad was a major milestone in the historic efforts of the seven South Asian states to usher in a new era of mutually beneficial cooperation.

        Pakistan is proud of its contribution to making SAARC effective. The Summit was able to chart new horizons and expand cooperation in diverse fields. An important beginning was also made towards creating links with other important organizations and institutions. Happily an air of hope and optimism, today, prevails throughout the region.

        During the past six months, considerable work has been accomplished. There has been active follow up and implementation of Summit decisions. SAARC has started to exude new confidence and its international profile has enhanced.

        There are strong affinities among the nations of South Asia based on their shared geography as well as historical and cultural links. These affinities provide the basis for forging cooperation to overcome common challenges that we face in a globalized world today.

It is said that the 21st century will be an Asian century .The vast regions surrounding South Asia are fast attaining phenomenal growth rates. The centre of economic gravity is shifting to Asia. This is as much an imperative of free market economics and globalization, as it is of the determination of the states of this region to realize their developmental potential through regional cooperation.

        South Asia, which is home to one-fifth of the humanity, must join the Asian fast track to development. We must create conditions conducive for benefiting from the processes shaping the 21st century.

        We must also ensure that our region develops in a manner where benefits of economic growth are shared equally by all states and all sections of societies.

        SAARC has declared poverty alleviation as its over-arching goal. This requires the elaboration of effective programmes covering not only the core areas of growth but simultaneous action to ensure justice across the wide social spectrum.

        SAARC must forge close cooperative partnerships with relevant international financial institutions, other regional organizations and states that have the capacity to contribute to development.

        Pakistan has been emphasizing the need for greater inter-regional cooperation. We appreciate the steps taken by the Secretary General in this direction.

        We welcome the emphasis that is being given to developing closer collaboration among SAARC states in the field of energy.

Pakistan has proposed the creation of a South Asia Energy F orum and the setting up of a SAARC Energy Centre, which we will be happy to host.

        This would bring great dividends to all member states by ensuring that their energy needs, that are critical for development, are met in a secure and cost effective manner.

SAARC must continue to devote close attention to developing transport and communications infrastructure, which is indispensable for promoting greater regional cooperation.

We hope that efforts to create a South Asian Development Bank will produce good results. Greater cooperation between the Central Banks of South Asian states could create the requisite conditions for a harmonious development of the region, as a whole.

We are encouraged by the efforts that are being made to operationalise the South Asia Free Trade Area. The huge market potential of South Asia would bring benefits to all member states, and would also enable us to attract investments and help accelerate our economic growth.

Pakistan has taken steps to translate into action the Social Charter adopted by the Islamabad SAARC Summit. We have also given special attention to SAARC activities for promoting the role of women in development.

We hope that the SAARC Communications Ministers meeting held in Islamabad recently will help in promoting cooperation in the fields of Information Technology and Telecommunications.

The vision of South Asia joining the Asian mainstream to fast economic growth and development can only be realized if there is peace and harmony. In this context, the resumption of Composite Dialogue between Pakistan and India is a welcome development. We are committed to making this process a success. I have no doubt that this augurs well for SAARC and over 1.4 billion people of this region.

In visualizing SAARC's future, we must give serious thought to devising ways and means whereby political differences and disputes within the region are settled amicably.

As the current Chairman of SAARC, Pakistan will be happy to promote efforts for the consolidation of SAARC on the one hand and in enhancing its global profile on the other. In this endeavour we count on your continued cooperation and support, Mr. Prime Minister.

 SAARC must become the symbol of our resolve for economic development, preservation of our environment and above all an instrument for ensuring social equity and justice for all.

Thank you. 

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