Nepal
will hold the 18th SAARC
Summit
in Kathmandu on 14th November, the third time the country is hosting the event
since the establishment of eight-member regional grouping in 1985. A cabinet meeting headed by Prime Minister
Sushil Koirala on Thursday decided to hold the summit on 14th November and
directed authorities to make necessary preparations for the successful summit,
according to cabinet sources.
The
date is subject to approval by SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation) member states that include India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Nepal had last hosted the 11th SAARC Summit in January 2002 and 3rd Summit in November 1987. The 17th
SAARC summit was held in Maldives in 2011. The cabinet also decided to form various
committees to expedite preparation works for hosting the summit on time.