Experts on Saturday understood the need for strong regional connectivity, cooperation and an easy trading process to boost untapped economic progress in the South Asian regions.

Calling upon the stakeholders to remove all trade, visa and policy-related barriers, the speakers also suggested developing infrastructure, adopting technology, improving trade policy and coming out of colonial civil service to take the economic potential.

They made the remarks while addressing the 14th South Asia Economic Summit (SAES XIV) hosted by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) at Sheraton hotel in Dhaka this noon.

The summit, titled "Reframing South Asian Regional Cooperation in the New Context: National and Global Dimensions," is being organised in collaboration with Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), India; South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE), Nepal; Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Pakistan; and Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Sri Lanka.   

CPD Executive Director Fahmida Khatun made welcome remarks at the inaugural session while its founding chairman Prof Rehman Sobhan was chairing the session.

Taking part in the programme, Director General of Research and Information Systems for Developing Countries (RIS), India Prof Sachin Chaturvedi said regional integrity is very crucial in the region to take trade and economic advantages.

Abid Qaiyun Suleri, executive director of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Pakistan, said the regional conflict and climate change are key problems in the region.

MA Mannan said all barriers should be removed to boost the untapped potential as only 8 percent of trade is done in the region of the total trade volume in the world.

"Bangladesh is working actively. We developed our infrastructure. Now, we want to move freely in our neighboring countries like India, Nepal and Bhutan, " he said.

In her chief guest speech, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament, emphasised on inclusive economic growth, adopting 4IR and working together to reduce the impact of climate change.