Their deliberations reflected a recognition of the serious menace posed by COVID-19 and the need for robust regional cooperation to overcome it. It is learnt that each contributing member-state is responsible for approval and disbursement of funds in response to requests received from others. It has received requests for medical equipment, medicines and other supplies from Bhutan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Maldives, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The challenge facing the region is how to relate to a country which claims to favour regional cooperation, while working against it. Both New Delhi and its friendly neighbours need to start preparing themselves for SAARC 2.0.

Source: The Hindu April 06, 2020 18:45 UTC