Saarc countries: Eight countries comprise South Asian Association

Eight countries comprise South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation: Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan India the Maldives Nepal Pakistan South Asia Currently, SAARC has nine observers: Australia China The European Union Iran Japan The Republic of Korea Mauritius Myanmar The United States of America. Need for SAARC It has the largest poor population in the world and is most vulnerable to natural disasters. It is extremely vulnerable to nuclear war and conventional and non-conventional ... After consultations, the foreign secretaries of the seven founding countries —Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka— met for the first time in Colombo in April 1981. Afghanistan became the newest member of SAARC at the 13th annual summit in 2005. SAARC is the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. It came into effect on December 8, 1985. In this article, we will break down the SAARC and list out the member countries , its objectives and functions. Read on to find out more. About SAARC The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation ( SAARC ) was established on 8 December 1985, and its Secretariat was established in Kathmandu, Nepal, on 17 January 1987. SAARC comprises eight member countries : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. SAARC Heads of State will congregate at yearly summits. The most recent was held in 2014 in Kathmandu. Since then, Nepal has hosted annual casual gatherings of SAARC foreign ministers.