Kathmandu, May 27: The Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Nepal jointly organized the “Seminar on Enhancing Regional Integration and Cooperation in South Asia,” on Tuesday, May 26 in Kathmandu.
The South Asian region is a rich cultural mosaic with great human potential and shared aspirations for prosperity. Home to nearly a quarter of the world’s population, the region holds immense promise for inclusive growth driven by its young population, expanding markets, and longstanding traditions of regional exchange. By deepening connectivity and strengthening cooperation based on mutual respect and shared priorities, South Asia can further harness its collective strengths and foster a more integrated and dynamic regional community.
Building on this foundation, enhanced collaboration in areas such as energy, transport, and sustainable development offers meaningful opportunities to improve livelihoods and promote balanced development across the region. In a rapidly changing global environment, closer regional partnerships can also support more resilient and diversified economic networks while encouraging innovation and knowledge-sharing. Against this backdrop, this seminar provided a platform for constructive dialogue, bringing together stakeholders to explore practical and forward-looking approaches to strengthening regional cooperation and creating a pathway toward shared prosperity.
The seminar brought together policy makers, experts, and relevant stakeholders to engage in discussions on promoting regional integration and cooperation in South Asia. This seminar helped to identify institutional, political, and economic challenges in the process of regional cooperation in South Asia, and share diverse perspectives from participating experts on these issues. The seminar is structured into two distinct parts. Session I focused on overview and assessment of regional integration in South Asia. Session II centered on policy recommendations for expanding regional integration in South Asia including cooperation with middle powers.
The Seminar further examined the roles and potential contributions of external partners, including the Republic of Korea, in supporting the strengthening of regional cooperation in South Asia through trade, investment, and development cooperation.
The Republic of Korea has officially participated as an observer country in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) since 2006. As one of the nine official SAARC Observers, The Republic of Korea actively works with South Asian nations on priority areas defined by the member states, which include energy, connectivity, supply chain logistics and economic cooperation. Korea has continued to pursue practical partnerships by holding seminars with SAARC nations focusing on diversifying supply chains, expanding trade, and integrating transportation infrastructure.
Foreign Secretary, Amrit Bahadur Rai, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Nepal, Park Taeyoung and Director (Economic, Trade and Finance) of SAARC on the behalf of the Secretary General delivered remarks at the seminar. Five scholars from NIICE, IIDS, TU, KU & SAARC gave a presentation focusing on different pillars of regional engagement of South Asian cooperation. Around 100 participants including government officials, diplomatic missions, media personnel, general public attended the seminar.
People’s News Monitoring Service.
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