Kathmandu, Oct. 10: Secretary General of the South
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Amjad Hussain B. Sial
Tuesday said that the facilitation of visas would be a step towards the
regional economic union.
“Facilitation of visas will not only help enhance
economic relations and intra-SAARC trade but also helps to attain the ultimate
goal of the South Asian Economic Union,” he said while addressing a meeting of
the Core Group of the SAARC Immigration Authorities and Visa Experts at the
SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu.
As mandated by the eighth meeting of the SAARC
Immigration Authorities held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 11 July this year, the
meeting has been convened to develop security software for electronic visas
under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme.
According to a press statement issues by the SAARC
Secretariat, the Secretary General stated that the SAARC Air Service, Motor
Vehicles and Railways agreements were under consideration.
“I firmly believe that people-to-people contacts are
essential for effective regional integration, and to achieve that connectivity
is the key,” he said.
The fifth SAARC Summit held in November 1990 in the
Maldives had launched the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme with the eventual goal of
establishing a visa-free regime in the region.
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