DHAKA: Foreign Affairs Minister AH Mahmood Ali said Bangladesh is expected to sign three agreements at the upcoming 18th SAARC summit in Nepal’s Kathmandu.

The minister disclosed the matter on Thursday at a press conference on the summit at the foreign affairs ministry in city.

The deals will include ‘SAARC Motor Vehicles Agreement for the Regulation of Passenger and Cargo Vehicular Traffic amongst SAARC Member States’, ‘SAARC Regional Railways Agreement’ and ‘SAARC Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation (Electricity)’.

State minister for foreign affairs Shahriar Alam and secretary Shahidul Haque, among others, were present at the conference.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will lead a 37-member delegation to attend the two-day summit, scheduled to be held from November 26.

This year’s theme of the summit is ‘Deeper Integration for Peace and Prosperity’.

The foreign minister at the conference put importance on the strong regional communications system among the member countries.

Prior to the summit, the 49th meeting of programming committee, to be chaired by SAARC and BIMSTRC director general, will be held on November 22.

The two-day 41st standing committee meeting of the foreign secretaries will be held from November 23 and the 36th council of ministers meeting of the foreign ministers will be held on November 25.

Bangladesh foreign minister and secretary will lead their respective meetings.

Mahmood said some 1.7 billon people live in the SAARC countries and there are huge prosperities in trade.

But, the inter-SAARC countries trade amount is less than five percent of total trade in the region while the amount of trade in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is 26 percent and in European Union (EU) is 45 percent.

The minister emphasized speeding up the inter-nations trade relations, development for the youth and qualitative education among the member countries.

BDST: 1720 HRS, NOV 20, 2014