Manmohan leaves for SAARC summit

Nov 09, 2011 |

IANS

New Delhi

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left Wednesday on a four-day visit to attend the 17th SAARC summit in the Maldives where he will also meet his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani for bilateral talks.

He will also hold bilateral talks with South Asian leaders on the margins of the eight-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit.

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai will be part of the prime minister's delegation for the two-day SAARC summit that kicks off in the picturesque Addu Island Thursday afternoon.

The 17th SAARC summit is themed "Building Bridges" and will culminate in a joint declaration Friday.

Four agreements, which includes a pact on creating a seed bank to boost agricultural productivity and another pact on setting up a rapid action force to combat natural disasters like cyclone and quakes, are expected to be signed at the summit.

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