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sri_bom · Member Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 2365 Location: Singapore

Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, proposed member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) remove restrictions on direct services between their capitals (Xinhua, 03-Apr-07). India also announced a unilateral liberalisation of visas for students, teachers, professors, journalists and patients from SAARC nations.

Indian Government: “South Asia has flourished most when connected to itself and the rest of the world. We must commit to actually making the travel freer and easier… Let us aim to double the intra-SAARC flow of tourists in the next five years”, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Source: Xinhua, 03-Apr-07.

HAWK21M · Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 1:32 pm Post subject:

Nice move.Its High time SAARC nations took this group seriously.
May be INdia being the Large member should take the lead,We'll def get support from all nations but one. Smile

regds
MEL
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karatecatman · Guest

Well, this is not at all a new idea.

Way back in the late Eighties/Nineties, it was proposed by Rajiv Gandhi and Benazir Bhutto to have an umbrella organisation of all the flag carriers in the region. Air India was to lead followed by PIA, Biman, IA, Royal Nepal, Air Lanka, Druk Air and Maldives. Was to even include Ariana.

Idea was to have some kind of frequent flier exchange programme, pooling of technical resources and an airline alliance. Idea never took off.
All the State carriers are in a bad shape and things are now very different with the LCC market and private players.

BigTom · Member Joined: 21 Mar 2007 Posts: 271 Location: Dubai, UAE

Good move if it works. Also easing visa restrictions maybe a good idea. I remember when I was based in BKK and wanted to go to a friend's wedding in Karachi I was refused a visa only because I was a journalist. Journalists are viewed with suspicion in many countries. Nowadays visas to Pak are easier to get from DXB, especially if there is cricket on, but then only to the city where the match you have tickets for. Easing up travel restrictions among SAARC countries should also facilitate people-to-people contacts and break some of the propaganda-based myths we entertain about each other.

Cheers

the_380 · Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 10:10 pm Post subject:

Today manmohan Singh and someone from Pakistan were in talks to increase air links between the two countries
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stealthpilot · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 2325 Location: BLR, DXB

This certainly should be done, the sooner the better. Not only flights between the capitals but a complete open skies agreement.
India should try and convince the SAARC members to all adopt it, otherwise go ahead and make separate bilateral agreements with these countries. Complete open skies with Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan and Nepal would be a boost; and opening up to these nations doesnt have the (not good enough) reasons/fears of opening up to the gulf carriers etc.
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