Summit was different as it got democratically elected leaders: Hasina

Describing the 18th Saarc Summit held in Kathmandu, Nepal as a successful one, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Friday said the environment at the summit was very cordial as all the eight-nation association leaders were democratically elected.
"The environment at the Summit was different this time…it was very cordial as all the Saarc leaders were democratically elected,” she said.
Hasina, also the President of the ruling Awami League, made the statement in her introductory speech at the Awami League Central Working Committee (ALCWC) meeting held at her official residence Ganabhaban.
She said the Saarc leaders reached a consensus on one agreement -- Saarc Framework Agreement on Energy Cooperation -- after elaborate discussions. The deal was signed  Thursday, aiming to trade electricity from one country to another and set up trans-boundary power grids.
The Prime Minister mentioned that the Saarc member countries adopted a 36-point Saarc declaration laying emphasis on the socio-economic development of this region. “The problems of this region are more or less the same and the Saarc leaders put emphasis on solving those.”
Hasina thanked the government of Nepal and its people for holding the Saarc Summit successfully and their warmest hospitality.
The Summit was held in Kathmandu on November 26-27. This was the third time that Nepal hosted Saarc Summit after January 2002 and November 1987, according to a news agency.