Nepal has formally proposed to host the 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit in Kathmandu in November 2014. Nepal made the proposal during the 35th meeting of SAARC Council of Ministers that concluded in Bandos Island of the Maldives on February 20. All other SAARC member states, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka welcomed the proposal.  

 

The date for the Summit will be fixed later, after consultation with the member states. This is the third time that Nepal would be hosting a SAARC Summit. Earlier, Nepal had hosted the third and the 11th Summit of the regional body in Kathmandu in November 1987 and January 2002 respectively.

 

The 17th Summit was held in Addu City of the Maldives in November 2011, where Nepal had committed to hosting the next Summit on rotation basis. Due to political upheavals in the Maldives the Council of Minister had not sat for more than two years, thus further delaying the Summit.