Saarc Foreign Ministers' planned in person meeting on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly has been cancelled as there was “no concurrence” among the member states.
“The informal meeting of the Saarc Council of Ministers’ proposed to be held in person on September 25 on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York will not take place,” the Kathmandu Post reported quoting a statement of the Nepalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Nepal informed that the meeting is not taking place "due to the lack of concurrence from all member states as of today."
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In the lead-up to the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Nepal was in predicament over the meeting of the foreign ministers of Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation).
The meeting, though it is held informally, has been a long-standing tradition, said the Kathmandu Post.
But given the recent developments in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, Nepal, the current chair of Saarc, was in confusion, reads the report.
Afghanistan joined the regional bloc in 2007 to become its eighth member.
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The Saarc Secretariat then accordingly corresponded with member states regarding the cancellation of the meeting.
This time, Nepal, as Sarrc chair, wanted to conduct an in-person meeting so as to make a push for moving the Sarrc process forward.
As per the tradition, it has to send formal invitations to all member states.