SAARC Foreign Ministers Arrival

Foreign Ministers of the Kingdom of Bhutan, Nepal and Srilanka had arrived at Gan International Airport, for the 34^th Session of the SAARC Council of Ministers on Wednesday. Foreign Ministers of all eight SAARC Countries apart from India and Bangladesh are due to arrive by this evening. Indian Foreign Minister and the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister will be arriving by Wednesday afternoon.

The Minister’s meeting aims to establish common SAARC positions on a range of issues, from transport and communications, to climate change and good governance, before the SAARC Heads of State and Government arrive in Addu City on Wednesday night. The main SAARC Summit takes place between 10 – 11 November.

Wednesday’s meeting will also see the launching of a new report on the Rights of the Child by UNICEF Regional Director Daniel Toole.

The 34^th Session of the Council of Ministers is due to finish on Wednesday afternoon and will be followed by a press briefing at the Equatorial Convention Centre by the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers.

Preparations for the SAARC Summit are now largely complete. The Equatorial Convention Centre – a hundred percent Maldivian designed and builtcomplex – is the main venue for the Summit. A workforce of 650 built the world-class centre in just eight months. Surrounded by lakes and woodland, the Equatorial Convention Centre’s main hall is over 1,200 square meters, the largest in the Maldives. The centre also houses a number of VIP lounges, banquet halls and meeting rooms.

Addu City is in the final stages of preparations for the SAARC Summit, which will be officially inaugurated at a ceremony on Thursday afternoon. A new VIP terminal has been constructed at Gan International Airport along with a VIP harbor for visiting dignitaries. Dhoogas in Gan has been converted into a 50 bed hotel complex, renamed Gan Island Resort. A State Banquet Hall has been built in Hulhumeedhoo and the Addu link road has been resurfaced.

Neighboring Fuvahmulah, which plays host to the SAARC leaders’ spouse programme, has seen a brand new airport built for the occasion, as well as a cultural village showcasing the Maldives’ rich history.