On the sideline of the 76th UN General Assembly, a planned in-person meeting of the foreign ministers from the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries has been cancelled as there was ‘no concurrence’ among the member states.
"The informal meeting of the SAARC Council of Ministers' proposed to be held in person on 25 September on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York will not take place," the Kathmandu Post reported quoting a statement of the Nepalese foreign affairs ministry.
The Nepalese foreign affairs ministry informed that the meeting is not taking place "due to the lack of concurrence from all member states as of today."
In the lead-up to the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Nepal was in predicament over the meeting of the foreign ministers of SAARC.
The meeting, though it is held informally, has been a long-standing tradition, said the Kathmandu Post.
Given the recent developments in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, Nepal, the current chair of SAARC, was in confusion, reads the report.
Afghanistan joined the regional bloc in 2007 as the eighth member.
The SAARC secretariat accordingly corresponded with the member states regarding the cancellation of the meeting.