“SAARC Obligations and its Impact on Kerala with Emphasis on Sri Lankan Influence”

Abstract

The regional cooperation among the South Asian Governments had made SAARC a reality. This was to be used as a platform for wider dissemination of regional interests and partaking in the progress of regional harmony. In fact there were many areas which needed regional cooperation and each country has unique requirements. Among the SAARC nations, India is the biggest and has more states bigger than many countries who are members of SAARC. One being Kerala, which due to proximity to Sri Lanka on geographical and demographical aspects, sharing of similar cultures and produces had been influenced by the decisions taken at SAARC meetings. Many of the decisions favouring Sri Lanka were in fact viewed to be against the interests of Kerala. This paper is outlining the areas that are considered important in terms of the bilateral and multilateral agreements and the need to have thorough inspections on the commonalities between these regions and identify areas of mutual cooperation and synergy.