Saarc For South Asians South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

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Full meaning of SAARC is South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. It is an economic and political organization of eight countries (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, Bhutan and Afghanistan) 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.SAARC was established on December 8, 1985 by Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan. In April 2007, at the Association's 14th summit, Afghanistan became its eighth member. In April 2006, the United States of America and South Korea made formal requests to be granted observer status. The European Union has also indicated interest in being given observer status, and made a formal request for the same to the SAARC Council of Ministers meeting in July 2006. On August 2, 2006 the foreign ministers of the SAARC countries agreed in principle to grant observer status to the US, South Korea and the European Union. On 4 March 2007, Iran requested observer statusBangladeshi president Ziaur Rahman proposed the creation of a trade bloc consisting of South Asian countries in the late 1970s. The Bangladeshi proposal was accepted by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka during a meeting held in Colombo in 1981. In August 1983, the leaders adopted the Declaration on South Asian Regional Cooperation during a summit which was held in New Delhi. The seven South Asian countries, which also included Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan, agreed on five areas of cooperation:1. Agriculture and Rural Development2. Telecommunications, Science, Technology and Meteorology3. Health and Population Activities4. Transport and,5. Human Resource DevelopmentCurrent members of SAARC are People's Republic of Bangladesh, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Kingdom of Bhutan, Republic of India, Republic of Maldives, State of Nepal, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri LankaCurrent observers of SAARC are People's Republic of China, European Union, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Republic of Korea and United States of America.