Among the SAARC countries Nepal has had relations with Israel the longest.  Nepal established  diplomatic relations with Israel in 1960, and always enjoyed a warm relationship with with Israel with King Mahendra visiting Israel in 1963. India being the biggest nation in SAARC region as well as being a strong ally of United States and the democratic world established diplomatic relations with Israel and remains one of the closest allies of Israel in SAARC.

 Israel and India  have defense trade agreements, space programs and anti- terrorist agreements among various regions of corporation. Bhutan has officially not  expressed any desire to  establish diplomatic relations with Israel, but Bhutan remains  diplomatically neutral with all the countries of the world. In 2005 the foreign ministers of Israel and Pakistan had bilateral talks, which concluded in the Pakistani president Musharaff stating that Pakistan will eventually establish diplomatic relations with Israel but only after an Independent Palestine State was created. Sri Lanka previously had a brief break in diplomatic connection with Jerusalem but remains a close ally of Israel. 

Within the SAARC block only Afghanistan and Bangladesh remains opposed to establishing relations with Israel to date. With Maldives signing  agreements in tourism, trade, health care and environmental research with  Israel, most of the SAARC region is now a new frontier to Israeli tourists and trade. This also gives the opportunity for the people of SAARC unrestricted access to  travel and explore the holy land. 

The country has recently seen the transition from an absolute monarchy to a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional Monarchy. This together with a more open approach to promoting tourism in the country has brought the country to a new modern era. Bhutan conservative by tradition was one of the last countries to formally make televisions and internet legal. 

India over the centuries has forged a strong relationship and even trains the local army. Bhutan and India are the only two SAARC countries that allows visa free passage and non restricted working conditions for their citizens across the border.Indian and bhutan also share another dream of SAARC, a common currency. Theses two countries formally recognize each-other’s currency as legal tender. This is quite a significant achievement for the region as it seeks to extend this to all SAARC members and we hope one day would be a reality. 

Trongsa Dzong, Bhutan. Photo taken April 24, 2002. Copyright (c) 2002 by William L. Devanney,Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation license, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation license“.

The country has about 96,695 km of roads. Total length of roads is 11,285 km from which 10,721 km are paved and 564 km are unpaved. As many roads are narrow, government has now launched several projects aiming to bolster the economy and the transport system. The plan includes Colombo – Katunayaka Express way, Colombo – Kandy Express way, Colombo – Padeniya Express way and outer circular high way. However still the main roads in Colombo and around the town are in good condition and the roads that are commonly used are upgraded and repaved.

Bus transport which is provided by the state-run Sri Lanka Transport Board known as CTB is the principle mode of public transport in the country. However there are privates and air conditioned buses too.

Cars are very easily available in Sri Lanka for hire. Air conditioned and radio cabs are also available in Colombo. These car rentals services provides with a driver for a day or more tours. Moreover international rent a car companies are also represented in Colombo. This includes AVIS, HERTZ, EUROPE CAR and many more companies.

Sri Lanka’s most of the cities and towns are connected by railways. Sri Lanka Government Railway operates the country’s railway network. The railway which developed during the British colonial period now connects the main cities of Kandy, Galle, Matara, Anuradhapura, Gampaha, Negombo, Kurunegala, Avissawella, Kalutara, Polunnaruwa, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Badulla, Gampola, Nawalapitiya, Matele, Vavuniya, Puttalam and Chilaw with capital Colombo.

Planes are also a means of transport in Sri Lanka. The major domestic airport is Ratmalana at Colombo. They have daily scheduled flights to other small airports. There are 14 airports in Sri Lanka (est. 1999). Sea planes from Sri Lankan airlines offer the most convenient way of travelling around the country, which reduces the travelling time. Helicopters are also available for hire. Helicopters can be booked and land anywhere outside restricted areas.

Afghanistan’s mainstay is agriculture. The agricultural products they produce include opium, wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskin and lambskin.

Industries in Afghanistan includes small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, cement, hand woven carpet, natural gas, coal and copper. And their export partners are India 22.8%, Pakistan 21.8%, US 15.2%, UK 6.5% and Finland 4.4% as estimated on 2006.

After 1800, the heirs of Prithvi Narayan Shah proved unable to maintain firm political control over Nepal. A period of internal turmoil followed, heightened by Nepal’s defeat by the British in a war from 1814 to 1816. Stability was restored after 1846 when the Rana family gained power, entrenched itself through hereditary prime ministers, and reduced the monarch to a figurehead. The Rana regime, a highly centralized autocracy, pursued a policy of isolating Nepal from external influences. This policy helped Nepal maintain its national independence during the colonial era, but also impeded the country’s economic development.

In 1950, King Tribhuvan, a direct descendant of Prithvi Narayan Shah, fled his “palace prison” to newly independent India, touching off an armed revolt against the Rana administration. This allowed the return of the Shah family to power and, eventually, the appointment of a non-Rana prime minister. A period of quasi-constitutional rule followed, during which the monarch, assisted by the leaders of fledgling political parties, governed the country. During the 1950s, efforts were made to frame a constitution for Nepal that would establish a representative form of government, based on the British model. In 1990, the political parties again pressed the King and the government for change. An interim government was sworn in on April 19, 1990, headed by Krishna Prasad Bhattarai as Prime Minister presiding over a cabinet made up of members of the Nepali Congress Party, the communist parties of Nepal, royal appointees, and independents. The new government drafted and promulgated a new constitution in November 1990, which enshrined fundamental human rights and established Nepal as a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch. Following the May 1999 general elections, the Nepali Congress Party once again headed a majority government after winning 113 out of 205 seats. But the pattern of short-lived governments persisted. On June 1, 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra reportedly shot and killed his father King Birendra, his mother Queen Aishwarya, his brother, his sister, his father’s younger brother Prince Dhirendra, and several aunts before turning the gun on himself. After his death two days later, the late King’s surviving brother Gyanendra was proclaimed King.

Citing a steady deterioration of conditions in the country, King Gyanendra dismissed the Cabinet and constituted a Council of Ministers under his own chairmanship on February 1, 2005. He stated that the Council of Ministers (i.e., Cabinet) would try to reactivate multi-party democracy within three years. The King subsequently declared a state of emergency and suspended almost all fundamental rights for nearly three months. His new government was sworn in on February 2, 2005. The Council of Ministers under the King’s chairmanship was reshuffled twice during the King’s 15 months of direct rule.

Environment and climate change, Science and technology to name a few are important regions of corporation among member states. The host country of SAARC is held on a revolving basis on each of the member states and is coordinated by the secretariat of the organisation.

In this web site we would try to provide you with most up-to-date news and policies of tourism and import export regulations in the region. As we publish more articles and information through this initial developmental period of this site, we thank you for your patience and please feel free to direct your enquiries to our help desk via e-mail.

For example, the government, in its cautious expansion of the tourist sector, encourages visits by upscale, environmentally conscientious tourists. Detailed controls and uncertain policies in areas such as industrial licensing, trade, labor, and finance continue to hamper foreign investment. Hydropower exports to India drove GDP growth to over 20% in 2007

The refugee issue also dominates relations with Bhutan’s other neighbor, Nepal. Bhutanese refugees are housed in camps in the east of the country. Most are ethnic Nepalese whose citizenship is in dispute. The Nepali government wants them to go back to Bhutan but they are not wanted by the Bhutanese too.