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South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) - Coggle Diagram
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
Establishment
1980:
Inception of the idea
2005:
Afghanistan became the newest member
1985:
SAARC Charter in Dhaka
1981:
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka met for the first
Headquarters and Secretariat:
Kathmandu, Nepal
Foundation Principles
No substitute for bilateral and multilateral cooperation
Not be inconsistent with bilateral and multilateral obligations
Respect for sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence, non-interference
Background
Common challenges in South Asia
Rise in ultra-nationalism
Cross-border terrorism
Nuclear armaments
Unsettled territorial disputes
Ethnic, cultural, and religious tensions
US military withdrawal from Afghanistan
Why SAARC?
Creating synergies over commonness
Common solutions to common issues
3% of the world’s area, 21% of the world’s population, and 3.8%(US$2.9 trillion) of the global economy
SAARC Achievements
SAFTA: A Free Trade Agreement confined to goods, but excluding all services , 2016
SAARC University
South Asia Preferential Trading Agreement , 1995
South Asia Satellite (not SAARC bcoz of Pak's exclusion)
Free Trade Area (FTA)
Significance for India
Regional stability
Global leadership role
Geostrategic significance
India’s Act East Policy
Primacy to neighborhood
Challenges
Indo-Pak Relations and Chinese traps on other members
Unstable Financial Positions
Broad area of cooperation leads to the diversion
Fear of Indian Domination
Low frequency of meetings
Exclusion of Contentious Issues from SAARC Charter
Need For Reviving SAARC
Pandemic mitigation
Dealing with Chinese influence
Regional Disconnect
Way forward
Cultural ties
Engaging With Pakistan
Application of Gujral Doctrine
All-of-South Asia Approach