KATHMANDU: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said that all the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries should work with unity to combat existing poverty in the region.

Inaugurating the SAARC minister level meeting at the Pokhare Grande Hotel on Thursday, he said that poverty is the enemy of the SAARC region.

"We need to work together to conquer this enemy. We need to intensify our cooperation to wipe out the very traces of this enemy. We need to act collectively to annihilate this common enemy," the Prime Minister said.

He further said that the SAARC had the capacity and resources to alleviate poverty from the region, adding, what they needed was the political will of highest order to cooperate and to collaborate.

Prime Minsiter Oli said that cooperation among the SAARC countries would contribute to create a positive atmosphere for deeper integration and to bring the structural transformation to South Asia.

Prime Minister Oli underscored that the SAARC countries should increase trade among them.

He said, "To realise the vision of developed South Asia, we need to vitalise the engine of economic prosperity."

PM Oli is the incumbent Chair of SAARC, where Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are members.

In his address, the Prime Minister also emphasized for connectivity of infrastructures, ideas, knowledge, markets, literatures and culture to achieve the shared dream of South Asian prosperity.

On this occasion, he also said that Nepal ushered into a new era in

its political and constitutional history following the promulgation of a democratic and inclusive Constitution in September last year.

Saying Nepal's current focus was socio-economic transformation, he also said that "a peaceful, stable, democratic and prosperous Nepal would also be the interest of entire South Asia region.

During the programme, the head of the government thanked all the SAARC member states for support and assistance extended to Nepal after the devastating earthquake on April 25 last year.