Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam (L, front) welcomes Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom (R, front) for the 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit at Tribhuwan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Nov. 25, 2014. After two years' postponement, the SAARC will see its 18th summit in Nepal's capital Kathmandu on Nov. 26 and 27. (Xinhua/Sunil Sharma)
KATHMANDU, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Leaders from member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) are arriving here on Tuesday for a regional summit as security is tightened in the Nepalese capital.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa will be the first among the eight heads of state or government landing in Kathmandu.
The leaders will attend the 18th SAARC summit on Wednesday and engage in bilateral talks with nine observer countries during the two-day meeting.
Officials said the leaders will fly to Dhulikhel, 30 km southeast of Kathmandu, for an informal retreat on Thursday before the closing ceremony of the summit.
The South Asian leaders are expected to sign three agreements on motor vehicle, railway and energy cooperation, which aimed at deepening regional cooperation under the theme of "Deeper Integration for Peace and Prosperity."
Foreign ministers had arrived in Kathmandu for a ministerial meeting on Tuesday.
The ministers discussed and reached concrete decisions on issues of common, and gave a final touch to a declaration expected to be adopted at the summit.
Laxmi Dhakal, spokesperson of Nepal's Ministry of Home Affairs, said the government has taken all measures to ensure the safety of more than 350 visiting guests.
The Nepalese government has deployed over 28,000 security personnel from the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, Nepal Police and National Intelligence Department inside the Kathmandu Valley.
This is the largest deployment of security forces after the Constituent Assembly election in November 2013.
More than 200 surveillance cameras have also been installed across the capital.
"Quality CCTVs have been installed at areas where leaders will travel through," Dhakal said. "Traffic activities will be constantly monitored."
