Common Saarc stand at WTO

The agreement comes ahead of the 13th Saarc summit which is scheduled to be held here in Dhaka in January 2005, and is an indication that the regional grouping is finally moving towards becoming the kind of united and powerful bloc that can benefit each of the member countries. It is precisely the kind of initiative that the Saarc countries need to be taking in order to advance their mutual interests in a competitive world.

In this day and age there can be no alternative to regional cooperation. No country -- and certainly not Bangladesh -- can afford to go it alone on the international stage. It only makes sense that our natural allies with whom we need to join together should be our neighbours, and thus all of the constituent countries stand to benefit from Saarc becoming a true partnership.

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The focus in negotiations thus far has largely been on intra-regional issues such as free trade and transportation links. These remain crucial and there is no doubt that the progress towards completely integrating the South Asian economy will translate into massive benefits for all member countries.

However, just as important is the understanding that by joining together and presenting a collective face to the outside world in forums such as the WTO we can maximise the benefits of being part of a regional association. Agreeing to develop a common plan of action ahead of the next WTO ministerial meeting will allow each member country to leverage its membership in Saarc to full advantage.

Individually it would be hard for us to make an impression at the WTO, but united we are a formidable grouping that demands attention. There is no better way to ensure that our concerns receive a fair hearing.