New Delhi, Dec. 8: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met Foreign Ministers of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member nations here on Saturday.

Singh interacted with the leaders on the sidelines of the seventh two-day meeting of SAARC Foreign Ministers, which began on Friday. Such meetings are held after every six months of the SAARC Summit.

The Foreign Ministers of eight member nations India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives and Afghanistan are participating in the meeting.

The meeting of the Council of Ministers will review the implementation of decisions taken at the last summit in New Delhi and will review economic, social and cultural cooperation among SAARC countries in the context of the Delhi Declaration.

The SAARC council of ministers will also set the tone for the next SAARC Summit, scheduled to be held in the Maldives.

A decision on the next Secretary General of SAARC is expected to be made at the meeting with India pitching for nominate its ambassador in Vienna for the post. The current Secretary General is from Bhutan whose tenure expires in April 2008.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that New Delhi seeks to promote early ratification of South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), decision to establish the SAARC Development Fund, a South Asian University and SAARC food bank.

Dr. Singh further said that he hopes that SAARC would become “a shining example of regional cooperation and reflect immense potential and shared heritage of the people of South Asia. ”

SAARC provides a platform for the peoples of South Asia to work together in a spirit of friendship, trust and understanding. It aims to accelerate the process of economic and social development in member states. (ANI)