December 7: The 29th session of the SAARC Council of Ministers meeting begins today in the Indian capital, New Delhi. The meeting will be preceded by the 34th session of the Standing Committee of Foreign Secretaries and the 31st session of the Programming Committee of senior ofiicials.

The Information and Communications Minister Lyonpo Leki Dorji is leading the Bhutanese delegation.

The meeting will review the progress of implementation of decisions and issues considered at the 14th SAARC Summit and the previous session of the Council of Ministers.

To enhance cultural understanding in the region, India is hosting a SAARC Cultural Festival on the sidelines of the meeting.

An 11 member Bhutanese cultural troupe from the Royal Academy of Performing Arts is taking part in the festival.

At the same time two Bhutanese Chefs are taking part in the SAARC food festival.

The SAARC Museum of Textiles and Handicrafts will also be inaugurated coinciding with the meeting. The Textile Museum of Bhutan is participating in the exhibition entitled Textile of South Asia.