KATHMANDU (NEPAL): The mentality of all South Asian leaders needs to be changed first for making the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) dynamic.

Nepal Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Dr Dinesh Bhattarai also said the leaders have to be more generous to think about collective affairs; the SAARC will then be able to fulfill its mission. 

Dr Dinesh Bhattarai made the observation in an interview with Banglanews24.com at The City Hall in Nepal on Friday afternoon.

He blamed the mentality of South Asian leaders as the main challenge for the SAARC. 

He further said, “There is no need to go for any research on SAARC; discussions, researches and plans have already been done; SAARC members have reached consensus about many things; we just need to implement them.”

Dinesh Bhattarai also said, “South Asian countries should be more sincere towards their neighbours; we are still killing people by shooting along our borders; we have to be more generous and come out of such type of attitude; only then this region will become prosperous.”

In reply to another question, the Foreign Affairs Advisor of Nepal’s premier said, “SAARC is yet to become successful like European Union (EU) or ASEAN allies. However, the EU has not become powerful and organized in a day. They had to cross a long way. SAARC should also be given time to take shape.”

He, however, said there is no scope to term SAARC ‘failed regional alliance’. The platform is working at it’s own pace and the result will surely come, he added.

Dr Bhattarai also said that SAARC has a mission and vision; its objective is to build friendly relations with other developing countries along with economic, socio-cultural and other kinds of regional developments.

SAARC leaders will work on those issues in the impending summit, he added.

“This region is full of natural resources; still its people are suffering from poverty; SAARC will address issues to utilize the resources in eradicating  poverty,” Bhattarai added.

BDST: 1248 HRS, NOV 01, 2014