For example, India had the highest-level bilateral meetings with Bangladesh after the regime change during the meet. India also used a series of meetings, especially with smaller neighbours like Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Bangladesh, to further elucidate Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s vision that India wants them to be stakeholders in the progress of the

region.

It was at the Saarc forum that Chief Adviser of Bangladesh, Fakhruddin Ahmed, met Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and Lankan President Rajapakse.

Sources also pointed out “successful and cordial” meetings between External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Pakistan counterpart, Khurshid Mohammed Kasuri, on the sidelines of the Saarc council of minister’s meet.

Sri Lanka, for example made use of the forum for a greater amount of diplomacy with President Mahindra Rajapakse arriving in New Delhi on April 1, two days ahead of the summit. Sources said in the context of the escalated violence in the island nation, the President wanted to make maximum use of the summit, which has China, Japan, South Korea, European Union and the United States as observers.

Nepal Prime Minister G P Koirala also made use of the array of opportunity the summit offered to hold meetings. The Nepal Prime Minister himself admitted today that he was advised against traveling to India on medical grounds.

With the Saarc placing a premium on consensus with each member country having veto powers, the decisions and deliberations have taken on a greater meaning.

The forum also forbids members from raising any bilateral issues. And with two crucial items on the agenda—Mutual Assistance Treaty and SAFTA—the stakes are high during any bilateral talks.

Meanwhile, China, Japan and Korea today expressed their willingness to associate with the forum, playing a greater role. Addressing the summit here as an observer, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso said the Government of Japan will cooperate more with Saarc to achieve better regional connectivity.