The
Government
of Sri
Lanka
has
emphasized
that
strengthened
connectivity
and
seamless
passage
for
peoples
of the
region
would
lead to
enhanced
trade
and
greater
intra-regional
people-to-people
contact,
said
Minister
of
Transport,
Dullas
Alahapperuma
at the
Second
Meeting
of SAARC
Ministers
of
Transport
held in
Colombo
on July
25.
He added
it would
also
contribute
to
realization
of a
more
integrated
region,
and
assist
in
finding
common
solutions
to
regional
problems.
Stressing
the
vital
role of
SAARC
Transport
Ministers
in
providing
impetus
and
direction
to
expedite
the
achievement
of a
better
connected
South
Asia,
the
Minister
said
that it
is
necessary
to work
on
initiating
direct
flights
between
SAARC
countries
and
remove
bottlenecks
in
trans-border
movement
of goods
by land.
He
further
stressed
the
urgent
need to
strengthen
infrastructure
including
roads,
railways,
maritime
as well
as air
transport.
The
Ministers
reviewed
progress
in
decisions
taken at
the
first
ministerial
meeting
in 2007;
considered
progress
in the
implementation
of the
prioritized
recommendations
of the
SAARC
Regional
Multimodal
Transport
Study;
deliberated
on the
various
pilot,
sub-regional
and
regional
projects
proposed;
and
emphasized
the need
to
operationalize
the
Infrastructure
Window
of the
SAARC
Development
Fund for
implementing
important
projects.
They
also
discussed
in
detail,
matters
relating
to
developing
draft
regional
transport,
transit
and
railway
agreements,
and
decided
to
constitute
an
Expert
Group to
negotiate
such
agreements
in a
time
bound
manner.
The
SAARC
Secretariat
was
requested
in this
regard
to
continue
to
cooperate
with the
relevant
international
organizations
including
the
Asian
Development
Bank.
It was
agreed
to
recommend
to the
SAARC
Council
of
Ministers
to
declare
the next
decade
as the
“Decade
of
Intra-regional
Connectivity
in SAARC”.
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