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SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) is an organization founded in 1985 to promote regional cooperation among eight South Asian countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It focuses on economic development, social progress, cultural exchange, and collective solutions to regional challenges. Its effectiveness has often been limited by political tensions, particularly between India and Pakistan.
President Muizzu has called for SAARC's revival and offered the Maldives' good offices. Nine years without a summit have left South Asia the world's least integrated region — under 5% intra-regional trade across a bloc of 1.94 billion people.
By White Tern
