Muizzu pushes for SAARC restart; India cites Pak terror concerns

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has called for the revival of the long-dormant South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), offering his country as a mediator to help restart leaders’ summits after nearly a decade of inactivity.
Speaking at the Maldives’ Independence Day ceremony on 26 July, Muizzu said the regional body, which the Maldives helped found in the mid-1980s, had delivered “numerous benefits” but had been “rendered, or has become, dysfunctional” for about nine years.
“Looking closely at our immediate region, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)... is one such body,” he said. “Given that the foreign policy of the Maldives is structured... upon the principle that differences should be addressed through consultation, by bringing concerns to the discussion table, reaching resolutions, and moving forward in a manner that benefits all, the reactivation of SAARC is equally vital for regional peace and security.”

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He urged member states to resume summits. “We must bring matters to the point where the leaders of SAARC resume holding summits once again. To those parties among whom differences have arisen in this regard, the Maldives calls upon you to set those matters aside, to prioritise friendship for the sake of regional development and regional peace, and to come to the negotiating table".
SAARC, comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, held its last summit in Kathmandu in 2014. The planned 2016 summit in Islamabad was cancelled after India and several other members boycotted it following the Uri terror attack by Pakistani terrorists.
Maldives President suggested that, should the task "prove challenging", the "Maldives stands ready to take the initiative and act as a mediator to advance those discussions. Therefore, SAARC must be operationalised once again. This administration shall always champion peace.”
Responding on Tuesday to Muizzu’s remarks, India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated New Delhi’s support for regional cooperation while pointing the finger at Pakistan without naming it directly.
“India favours strong regional cooperation and has been working towards it for several decades. Everyone in South Asia is aware of which country and what activities are responsible for stymying SAARC. After all, cooperation does require goodwill,” Jaiswal told a media briefing. India has long emphasised that Pakistan’s support for cross-border terrorism and interference in neighbours’ affairs has blocked progress in the organisation.