ABSTRACT
Seven countries came together and formed the SAARC in 1985, and subsequently, Afghanistan joined the association as an eighth member state in 2005. For various reasons (suspicion, misperception, mistrust, insecurity, absence of common external threat, external interference, wars between India and Pakistan and so on), the member states have only been able to achieve very limited goals for the past thirty years. India is a larger country in terms of population, landmass, defence and resources and is also emerging as a major country, and it will emerge as the third largest economy in the world by 2030. If this is going to be the reality, then neighbouring countries would certainly benefit by associating with the former through economic cooperation. However, India should also improve its bilateral relations with its neighbours. Bilateral relations are essential for regional cooperation. The chapter focuses on how bilateral relations between India and its neighbours and regional cooperation will be visualized in 2030 by building different scenarios.
