What is SAARC-AA:
The founders of SAARC based their vision on our ancient links, our contemporary needs and our future potential. We must nurture our common roots, extend our branches of cooperation and enable the resultant fruits to reach our people. This we owe to our people. This we owe to posterity.

Our people have immense creative potential. If we invest in their capabilities and create an environment in which these capabilities bear fruit, South Asia will march forward in confidence and in peace. It should be our endeavour to work together to make that future happen.

We are today at a crucial crossroads. We have achieved much and have the potential to achieve even more.
But we also face challenges in a fast changing world. We must analyse our strengths and weaknesses and do a
reality check of what we have achieved and what still remains to be done. It is time for us to seize the moment,
to leverage our potential and overcome our challenges. Let us move from debate and deliberations to concrete
actions. We are all committed to the SAARC process. It is our collective responsibility to demonstrate the courage and
commitment as well as the wisdom and foresight to transform South Asia into a vibrant, progressive and
prosperous region. To achieve this will require a paradigm shift in our thinking and our attitudes. I am confident
that we South Asians have the ingenuity, the determination and the imagination to make such a transformation.