Pakistan to Push Regional Connectivity and Trade at ECO Summit in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will seek to strengthen regional connectivity and expand trade partnerships with regional countries at the upcoming Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) meeting in Islamabad this week, the foreign office said on Saturday.

The organization was originally established by Iran, Türkiye and Pakistan as the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD) in 1964 and was renamed the ECO in 1985. During the 1990s, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan joined as members.

The ECO aims to create favorable conditions for sustainable economic development in the region and to promote the joint welfare and well-being of its member states.

The 30th meeting of the ECO Council of Ministers will be held in Islamabad from Nov. 15-16 and will be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar. Foreign ministers and heads of delegations from ECO member states, along with representatives of the ECO Secretariat and its subsidiary bodies, are expected to attend.

“Pakistan’s chairmanship will focus on strengthening regional connectivity and deepening regional integration to strengthen regional partnerships, and promote collective efforts toward greater prosperity, sustainable development, and a more integrated and resilient ECO region,” the foreign office said.

It said the summit would also offer an opportunity to revitalize the ECO’s role as an effective platform for regional cooperation, dialogue and economic collaboration.

The foreign office said Islamabad’s chairmanship of the intergovernmental organization provides an opportunity to position Pakistan as a regional connectivity hub, a facilitator of logistics and supply chains, and an agenda-setter for regional trade.

“These efforts will contribute toward unlocking the region’s considerable economic potential and ensuring that the benefits of regional cooperation are translated into tangible improvements in the lives of the people of ECO member states,” the foreign office said.

Pakistan has been working to strengthen its position as a key trade and transit hub by connecting landlocked Central Asian states to global markets through its strategic location. In 2024, visits, investment discussions and economic activity between Pakistan and Central Asian nations, as well as Gulf countries, increased for that purpose.

The effort comes as Islamabad aims to reduce its reliance on bilateral and multilateral creditors and instead seeks profitable trade and connectivity partnerships with regional allies.

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