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South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
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<p>The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional <a href="/facts/Intergovernmental_organization/5ELbyRm6">intergovernmental organization</a> and <a href="/facts/Geopolitics/4bmB8oCM">geopolitical</a> union of states in <a href="/facts/South_Asia/7gTqe3hY">South Asia</a>. Its member states are <a href="/facts/Afghanistan/v63Auu1C">Afghanistan</a>, <a href="/facts/Bangladesh/NXk4f78Y">Bangladesh</a>, <a href="/facts/Bhutan/fSRsLss9">Bhutan</a>, <a href="/facts/India/QW4TV4sy">India</a>, <a href="/facts/Maldives/sC2HeXby">Maldives</a>, <a href="/facts/Nepal/yWCzTBR2">Nepal</a>, <a href="/facts/Pakistan/cbIsvJy1">Pakistan</a>, and <a href="/facts/Sri_Lanka/VtTBmysE">Sri Lanka</a>. SAARC comprises 3% of the world's land area, 21% of the <a href="/facts/World_population/tzYcheuD">world's population</a> and 5.21% (US$4.47 trillion) of the <a href="/facts/World_economy/Gng36UFL">global economy</a>, as of 2021. </p><p>SAARC was founded in <a href="/facts/Dhaka/8IYAkBh9">Dhaka</a> on 8 December 1985. Its secretariat is based in <a href="/facts/Kathmandu/0346ho1j">Kathmandu</a>, Nepal. The organization promotes economic development and <a href="/facts/Regional_integration/9H13hIRD">regional integration</a>. It launched the <a href="/facts/South_Asian_Free_Trade_Area/nTXXI5Gv">South Asian Free Trade Area</a> in 2006. SAARC maintains permanent diplomatic relations at the United Nations as an observer and has developed links with multilateral entities, including the <a href="/facts/European_Union/6GYcR8qM">European Union</a>. However, due to the geopolitical conflict between India and Pakistan and the situation in Afghanistan, the organization has been suspended for a long time, and India currently cooperates with its eastern neighbors through <a href="/facts/Bay_of_Bengal_Initiative_for_Multi-Sectoral_Technical_and_Economic_Cooperation/LuEBGw1x">BIMSTEC</a>. </p>