The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an economic and political organization of eight countries in South Asia. It was established in 1985 when the Heads of State of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka formally adopted the charter. However, it has not been organized and managed as a regional organization as ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Countries. Click here to see Hasegawa responding to a question from a student from Sri Lanka.