Maldives pushes for Saarc summit

The Maldives has sought a “conducive environment” for the eight-nation Saarc summit at an early date. “The Maldives encouraged states to provide a valuable opportunity for the leaders to discuss critical issues facing the region and expressed hope that the required measures will be taken by relevant member states to convene the summit at an early date,” its foreign ministry said in a statement late on Friday. Interestingly, the Maldives didn’t pull out of the meet and issued the statement after Pakistan announced the postponement of the meet. The summit was slated to take place in Islamabad on November 9 and 10.

“The Government of Maldives has urged Saarc member states to create an environment conducive for holding the summit,” the statement said. “The appeal follows the decisions by some member states who have expressed their inability to attend the summit due to terrorism, and threats to regional and international peace.”

NEW DELHI: