Fuel, food to dominate Aug Saarc meet
The food and fuel crisis will remain high on the agenda at the upcoming Saarc summit which is set to take place in Colombo in August.
By ET Bureau |
NEW DELHI: The food and fuel crisis will remain high on the agenda at the upcoming Saarc summit which is set to take place in Colombo in August.
Sri Lankan foreign minister Rohitha Bogollogama, who handed over an invitation from Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to attend the 15th Saarc summit, said that the food security issue would be high on the agenda when the SAARC members meet two months from now.
The Saarc members had agreed to set up a food bank in April 2007 during the last Saarc summit. Four Saarc members, including India, have already ratified the declaration while the others are expected to follow soon.
The food bank, where member nations will keep a stock of rice and wheat, is aimed at pushing food security in the region during shortages and emergencies in the region. "There is a need for it to happen," said Mr Bogollogama. The Sri Lankan foreign minister said that there would be a structured development of food issues in the SAARC fraternity.
The Sri Lankan foreign minister further said that he discussed the current food and energy crisis during discussions on regional and global issues with Mr Singh and external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee.
At the summit, Mr Singh will hand over the Saarc chair to Mr Rajapakse. The Sri Lankan President at the recently concluded FAO summit had talked about setting up a regional food security fund. Mr Bogollogama indicated that this would be an issue that Sri Lanka would bring up at the Saarc summit.
Sri Lankan foreign minister Rohitha Bogollogama, who handed over an invitation from Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to attend the 15th Saarc summit, said that the food security issue would be high on the agenda when the SAARC members meet two months from now.
The Saarc members had agreed to set up a food bank in April 2007 during the last Saarc summit. Four Saarc members, including India, have already ratified the declaration while the others are expected to follow soon.
The food bank, where member nations will keep a stock of rice and wheat, is aimed at pushing food security in the region during shortages and emergencies in the region. "There is a need for it to happen," said Mr Bogollogama. The Sri Lankan foreign minister said that there would be a structured development of food issues in the SAARC fraternity.
The Sri Lankan foreign minister further said that he discussed the current food and energy crisis during discussions on regional and global issues with Mr Singh and external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee.
At the summit, Mr Singh will hand over the Saarc chair to Mr Rajapakse. The Sri Lankan President at the recently concluded FAO summit had talked about setting up a regional food security fund. Mr Bogollogama indicated that this would be an issue that Sri Lanka would bring up at the Saarc summit.
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