The summit was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, chairman of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which was founded in 1985 with the aim of deepening regional economic cooperation.

Despite tensions and threats of terrorism, SAARC members still hoped to focus on battling poverty and high oil prices, developing alternate energy sources and improving infrastructure South Asia, which is home to 1.5 billion people.

A Sri Lankan diplomat said SAARC would move from the "declaration stage to implementation stage" after being dismissed as little more than a talking shop.