The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is a regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia between eight member states: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The organization was established in Dhaka, on 8 December, 1985, and is headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal. It is aimed at promoting and accelerating economic and social development, as well as promoting regional integration and cooperation. In 2006, it established the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA). SAARC has permanent diplomatic relations at the UN as observer and has cooperated with multilateral institutions including the European Union, although the organization has been frozen in time due to geopolitical relations and conflicts between India and Pakistan and developments in Afghanistan, and India is currently cooperating with its eastern neighbours through BIMSTEC.
