For India, it has been a privilege to provide assistance of nearly 8 billion US dollars in South Asia over a decade.
It may not seem a great amount in these times, but we are grateful for the opportunity to have made a difference to the lives of a few brothers and sisters in our region.
Each of us has taken our own initiatives. However, as SAARC we have failed to move with the speed that our people expect and want. Some argue that it is because of the region's development gap. But, that should actually spur us to do more. Or, is it because we are stuck behind the walls of our differences and hesitant to move out of the shadows of the past?
This won't resolve our differences, but will certainly deprive us of opportunities. Today, goods travel from one Punjab to the other Punjab through Delhi, Mumbai, Dubai and Karachi - making the journey eleven times longer and the cost four times more.
India, too, has its share of responsibility because of our size and location. I know that many of your goods, too, have to do a Parikrama of India to reach their destinations.
Just think of what we are doing to our consumers - and to our environment! We must shrink the distance between our producers and consumers and use the most direct routes of trade. I know India has to lead, and we will do our part.I hope, each of you will, too.
