Pakistan is scheduled to host a multination conference in Islamabad this week aimed at increasing cooperation between regional countries in areas such as trade, energy, tourism and economic growth,.
Media reports say Pakistani Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz told reporters on February 25 that the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit on March 1 will look at issues including international trade, energy, tourism, economic growth, productivity, social welfare, and environment.
Initiatives for furtherance of education and scientific linkages, cultural and people-to-people contacts within the ECO would also be deliberated upon during the Summit, he said.
Most member states have reportedly confirmed their participation in the Summit whose theme is ‘Connectivity for Regional Prosperity.’
The Summit is expected to end with a declaration which would focus on the Summit theme of Connectivity as a dynamic concept that encompasses multiple dimensions including transit transport such as rail, road, ports and shipping and cyber linkages.
It is for the first time that Pakistan is hosting the ECO summit since it last hosted the 3rd ECO Summit at Islamabad in May 1995.
The Summit was preceded by the senior official’s meeting on February 26-27 and Council of Foreign Minister’s meeting will take place on 28 February.
Addressing the meeting of senior officials of the ECO in Islamabad on Sunday, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project is a major initiative which will benefit the entire region, Radio Pakistan reports.
He said that ECO’s vision 2025 is an important document and its adoption will serve the purpose of increasing trade and economic relations among regional countries.
Foreign Secretary said that vision is aimed at infrastructure development and enhanced trade which will offer remedies for the socio economic development of the region.
Addressing the session, Secretary General ECO Halil Ibrahim Akca said that the summit is being held a time when the region is faced with new challenges.
He expressed the confidence that initiatives in the area of road, energy and trade will open new vistas of opportunities for the regional countries.
Secretary General said that institutional reforms of ECO are also on the agenda of the meeting.
The ECO grouping was formed by Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey in 1985, succeeding the Regional Cooperation for Development that they had established in 1964.
Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan joined the organization in 1992.
The ECO aims at promoting sustainable economic development of member states through trade and economic cooperation as well as mutual assistance in social, cultural, technical and scientific fields.
The Headquarters of ECO are located in Tehran, Iran.
Ambassador Halil Ibrahim Akca from Turkey is the current Secretary General of ECO. The 12th and last Summit was held in Azerbaijan in 2012.
