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As per Bangladeshi officials in Dhaka, the military-ruled Myanmar has requested to become a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). SAARC presently comprises of eight members - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan. The officials have been quoted by The New Age daily as saying that that the suggestion put forward by Myanmar may be deliberated upon at the upcoming SAARC standing committee meeting before the SAARC summit is held in Sri Lanka in July.
The soon to be held SAARC summit will be the 15th one and it has been scheduled to be convened at the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo from 27 July. Referring to India, the daily further hinted that Myanmar’s offer may be supported by a ‘key actor’ of the grouping. It is reported that Yangon got in touch with the SAARC secretariat officially in March with its membership proposal and that it has informed SAARC members in writing about its keenness to join the body.
Sources have confirmed that Myanmar may become SAARC’s ninth member as India will be backing the country’s entry into the grouping. Other than Myanmar, there is Australia that has informed South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation secretariat that it wants an observant status. Other countries that are already enjoying the status of observers in SAARC include United States, European Union, Republic of Korea, China, Japan, Iran and Mauritius.
