Bangladesh reaffirms commitment to revitalise SAARC process

Secretary General of SAARC Md. Golam Sarwar met foreign minister Dr, Khalilur Rahman on Tuesday 24 Feb 2026.

Dhaka, Feb 24 - Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman has reaffirmed Bangladesh's unwavering support and commitment to revitalise SAARC process.

The Minister expressed Bangladesh's readiness to take proactive initiatives to strengthen and revitalise SAARC.

He made the remarks when Secretary General of SAARC Md. Golam Sarwar met him on Tuesday.

Foreign Minister reiterated Bangladesh's conviction in abiding commitment to the principles enshrined in the SAARC Charter including sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence, non-interference in internal affairs, and mutual benefit of the peoples of member states.

The Foreign Minister recalled that the idea of regional cooperation in South Asia was first proposed by Bangladesh in the early 1980s by late President Ziaur Rahman to promote people's welfare, improve quality of life, and strengthen collective self- reliance in the region.

Being one of the founder members and the host of the very first Summit of SAARC in December 1985 and twice in 1993 and 2005, Bangladesh acknowledges the valuable role of SAARC to foster common regional values and promote cooperation in key areas such as trade, investment, connectivity, climate change, food security, culture, people-to-people contacts and so forth, he said. - UNB