Mottaki to attend SAARC FM meeting in Bhutan

New Delhi, April 22, IRNA – Manouchehr Mottaki, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran will attend the SAARC Foreign Ministers meeting on April 27 in Thimpu, in the capital city of Bhutan.

The 16th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit will take place in Thimpu on April 28 - 29. It will be preceded by the Foreign Ministers meeting on April 27, Standing Committee meeting during April 25 - 26, and Programing Committee meeting of Senior Officials on April 24.

Climate change will be the main theme of the upcoming SAARC Summit where the member countries are expected to sign a convention on cooperation in protection of environment.

Under the convention on environment, the eight member countries would commit to exchanging their knowledge and best practices, undertake capacity building and transfer of eco-friendly technology to each other.

Iran was admitted as an observer in the 14th SAARC Summit hosted by New Delhi in April 2007.

SAARC was established on December 8, 1985 by India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan. In April 2007, at the Association's 14th summit hosted in New Delhi, Afghanistan became its eighth member./end