PM invited to join SAARC summit in Nepal

Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina has formally been invited to attend the 18th Summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to be held in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu next month, reports UNB.

On behalf of Nepalese Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, Nepalese Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey extended the formal invitation to the prime minister when he met her at her official residence Ganobhaban Monday evening.

The 18th SAARC Summit will be held in Kathmandu on November 26-27.  Nepal is going to host the summit for the third time after 1997 and 2002.

PM's Press Secretary AKM Shameem Chowdhury briefed reporters after the meeting.

He said the PM accepted the invitation letter, saying, "Yes, we're prepared to go to the summit."

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh always lays emphasis on increased cooperation with neighbouring countries as the problems of all are identical. "We can solve those problems through forging a unity among us," she said.

Sheikh Hasina and the Nepalese Foreign Minister also discussed issues like physical and motor connectivity between Bangladesh and Nepal.

The PM said there must be an agreement among the SAARC countries for a balanced growth and development of the region.