Speaking at a weekly press conference at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, that the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit could not be held in the current situation.

After a long time of SAARC being inactive due to the India-Pakistan conflict, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said that Pakistan is ready to host the 19th SAARC Summit at a press conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, a few days ago. Qureshi also accused India of obstructing the SAARC summit. The Pakistani Foreign Minister had urged India to participate in the conference through virtual means if not possible to attend physically. Meanwhile, India has stated that no new agreement has been reached on holding the SAARC Summit immediately.

The SAARC summit has not been held since 2014 due to India’s obstruction.