Addu Declaration at the end of 17th SAARC Summit

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit - 2011 has decided to set the timeline for finalising a framework for rail and sea connectivity. The “Addu Declaration” issued at the end of the Seventeenth SAARC summit on 11th Nov. 2011 (Friday) shed some of the despondency reflected in the previous summit held in Thimphu. The eight leaders of SAARC member states at the summit decided to finalise a Regional Railways Agreement and complete the preparatory work on an Indian Ocean Cargo and Passenger Ferry Service by the end of this year.
The declaration also decided on early demonstration run of a Bangladesh- India-Nepal container train.
On the trade front, emphasis was on effective implementation of the free trade pact, paring the sensitive lists, eliminating non-tariff barriers and harmonising standards and customs procedures. With consensus eluding the SAARC on climate change, the declaration made a bland one-line reference to the issue.
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