Connectivity key word for regional cooperation: Pranab

Kolkata, Sep 1 (UNI) External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said greater connectivity would give impetus to regional cooperation among the SAARC countries.

Inaugurating a seminar on ''SAARC: Accelerating Cooperation through Connectivity'' here, the Minister said physical connectivity, economic connectivity and people-to-people connectivity are the key words for strengthening the regional cooperation.

" These will act as a major stepping stone in the east for our Look East policy and in the west to our links with Central Asia and will also act as a gateway to invigorated economic activity,'' Mr Mukherjee said.

He said India has always believed that if the SAARC nations were plagued with problems of inequality, hunger, poverty and lack of development, the issues should bring the Governments together in the pursuit of regional cooperation as a means of addressing them.

" India has been a strong advocate of regional cooperation and the 14th SAARC summit has placed important responsibilities on our shoulders, which we will discharge,'' Mr Mukherjee observed.

Welcoming the seminar, he said '' Our dialogue with the civil society is not being restricted to Delhi alone since such interactions have already been organised in Shillong and is now being held in Kolkata.'' Over the next few months, meetings are also planned in Srinagar, Guwahati, Pune, Nagpur, Thiruvananthapuram and Chandigarh, he informed.

UNI