Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

‘SAARC has witnessed many political and economic changes'

VISAKHAPATNAM: A two-day national workshop on “25 years of SAARC: An evaluation” being organised by the Centre for SAARC Studies, Andhra University, got under way at the Platinum Jubilee Guest House of AU on Friday.

Principal of AU College of Arts and Commerce B. Appa Rao participated as chief guest. Former Secretaries in the Ministry of External Affairs I.P. Khosla and A.N. Ram spoke.

During its two-and-half-decades of existence, the SAARC group has witnessed many political and economic changes that have swept across the region, particularly, the winds of democracy and globalisation.

The SAARC process began with great expectations but the initiatives launched in the process didn't measure well with the visionary perspectives, according to Director of the Centre for SAARC Studies, AU, T. Nirmala Devi.

‘Resilient'

Political misunderstandings and mistrust, particularly the Indo-Pak conflict are the irritants for the effective functioning of the regional institution.

Though most of the initiatives launched did not make much headway in fostering economic vibrancy in the region, the regional re-grouping is making several attempts to make it dynamic.

Despite numerous political setbacks, SAARC withstood several regional and global shocks but has not collapsed, she said. It succeeded in identifying the potential for regional cooperation and took measures to harness it.

The major successes of SAARC are the establishment of SAFTA, SAARC Social Charter, Convention on Fighting Terrorism, Independent Commission on Poverty Alleviation, and SAARC Development Goals.

The recently held summits were successful in reiterating the commitment towards the realisation of SAARC agenda and its progress in the right direction, Ms. Devi said.

The workshop assumes significance in the wake of the current political and economic scenario of the SAARC region, she said.

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