# Maldives offers to mediate revival of stalled SAARC 2026-08-13T18:05:38+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet On July 26, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu called for the revival of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and volunteered to mediate between members to restart the grouping. SAARC has not held a summit since 2016, when India pulled out after Pakistan-linked terror attacks in Uri. The Maldives is the latest South Asian nation to demand its revival. But deeper structural issues go beyond India-Pakistan tensions. Members have prioritised domestic interests over regional cooperation. Intra-regional trade remains below 5 per cent despite the 2006 South Asian Free Trade Agreement. Protectionist economies, exhaustive sensitive lists, and non-tariff barriers have kept the region the world’s least integrated, Frontline reports. ## Coverage - frontline.thehindu.com Tags: India-Pakistan tensions, Maldives diplomacy, regional cooperation, SAARC revival, South Asia trade Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/maldives-offers-to-mediate-revival-of-stalled-saarc/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/maldives-offers-to-mediate-revival-of-stalled-saarc/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.