Economic agenda priority for SAARC: Nepal

Nepali Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat yesterday said that the economic agenda will be given emphasis at the 15th South Asian Association Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit.

Addressing an interaction programme in the capital, Dr Mahat said that the need of energy and open market policy will be discussed at the summit.

Serious discussion will be carried out to seek alternatives to resolve the oil crisis, he added.

According to Dr Mahat, energy crisis is not only the problem of Nepal but it has affected all South Asian countries. He opined that as Nepal has water resources, India has coal and Bangladesh has gas, these natural resources must be utilised to move ahead struggling the crisis.

Dr Mahat also informed that Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala is scheduled to hold special talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the SAARC summit.

They will insist the Indian government to decrease steel mark tax which is imported in Nepal and to give permission to let the belongings stated in negative list to be exported in India, he informed.