Kathmandu, January 19

Nepal has proposed hosting a meeting of SAARC foreign ministers in Kathmandu in mid-March.

Foreign Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi said Nepal had proposed hosting the meeting in March and was awaiting confirmation from all member states.

The meeting, also known as inter-summit of SAARC, is generally held half-way between the two summits. SAARC Summit was last held in Kathmandu in November 2014.

The SAARC foreign ministers’ meeting would review progress made since the last summit and come up with necessary inputs to address issues agreed upon and targets set during the summit.

“We are working on different dates in March to convene the meeting,” Bairagi told The Himalayan Times.

He added the exact date for the meeting would be made public within a couple of days.

Another source said all SAARC member states: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have accepted Nepal’s proposal.

The foreign ministers’ meeting will set the date for the next SAARC Summit and also discuss agenda for the same.