In his weekly radio address, President Mohamed Nasheed has said the government has decided to hold the 17th SAARC summit in the South Province.
He said the summit could take place both in Addu and Fuahmulah atolls, adding that a lot of preparatory work would have to be done for the summit. A special team, he said, would coordinate and oversee the necessary preparations.
The President called for the full support and cooperation of everyone, saying that he was confident a successful summit could be held in the South Province.
He noted the 17th SAARC summit would be the first SAARC summit to be held in the southern hemisphere or south of equator, and added the summit would be a ‘great honour’ for the Maldives.
During the 16th SAARC summit in Bhutan last month, the SAARC leaders decided to hold their next summit in the Maldives.
SAARC summits are the highest level meetings attended by heads of state or government of the member states of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation.
In his radio address, the President also discussed his ongoing visit to Malaysia to attend the 6th World Islamic Economic Forum. President Nasheed spoke at the opening ceremony of the Forum on Wednesday.
He held bilateral meetings with some of the leaders attending the Forum. The President said he was hopeful that Islamic countries would continue to assist the Maldives. During his visit, the President also met with the representatives from the Malaysian private sector to garner support for development projects.
