Iran's FM in Bhutan for SAARC Summit

Thimphu, April 28, IRNA – Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki arrived in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, Wednesday morning to attend the 16th SAARC Summit.

During the two-day South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit, Mottaki is due to confer with the leaders of the SAARC member countries on cultural, economic and political issues.

He is also planned to hold talks with the king of Bhutan and his Bhutanese counterpart on the issues related to political relations between the two states.

SAARC is an economic and political organization of eight countries in Southern Asia. In terms of population, its sphere of influence is the largest of any regional organization: almost 1.5 billion people, the combined population of its member states.

It was established on December 8, 1985 by Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka. In April 2007, at the association's 14th summit, Afghanistan became its eighth member.

Iran has traditionally enjoyed strong cultural, economic, and political relations with Afghanistan and Pakistan, two SAARC members on its borders, and has expressed its desire to become a member of the South Asian organization./end