Azerbaijan hosted the 17th summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), which was held in the city of Khankendi on Friday under the chairmanship of President Ilham Aliyev, as reported the secretariat of the organization.
The motto of the event is “A New ECO Vision for a Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Future.”
Representatives of all 10 ECO member states – Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, attended the summit.
The summit agenda covered issues such as trade expansion, sustainable development, combating climate change, developing transport corridors and institutional strengthening. The summit participants reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation in energy, science, education, tourism and inclusive growth.
It was announced that the next ECO summit would be held in Iran in 2027.
Founded as the Regional Development Cooperation Organization in 1964 by Iran, Pakistan and Turkey, ECO adopted its current name in 1985.
The ECO region is home to 460 million people. Its area exceeds 8 million square kilometers, connecting north with south, south and east with west, Asia with Europe and Eurasia with the Arab world. The members of ECO are Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Observer status in ECO is open to other regional or international organizations, states and institutions. Currently, the following are ECO observers: the Organization of Turkic States (since October 2014), the International Energy Charter (since February 2017).
