The 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit began in Kathmandu Wednesday, as the heads of the eight nations converged to discuss regional issues, dpa reported. "It is a great honour and privilege for Nepal to host the 18th SAARC summit on behalf of the people and the government of Nepal," Prime Minister Sushil Korila said. The regional bloc was founded in 1985 by Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan joined in 2005.