Dar finalises arrangements for ECO ministerial meeting in Islamabad

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday chaired a meeting to finalise preparations for the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) Council of Ministers Meeting which is scheduled to be held in Islamabad on November 15-16, looking forward to welcoming the participating delegations for “productive discussions on strengthening regional cooperation,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said.

In a statement on X, MoFa noted that Dar “expressed satisfaction with the progress of preparations and directed all concerned to ensure close coordination for the smooth and successful conduct of the meeting.” He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the ECO. The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Foreign Office, it added.

In September, Dar chaired the 27th Informal Meeting of the ECO on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, underscoring the need for member states to “harness their collective potential to promote peace, resilience, and shared prosperity for the region’s nearly half a billion people.”

The foreign minister also expressed gratitude to ECO member states for “reposing confidence in Pakistan and reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to advancing the organisation’s objectives and strengthening regional cooperation.”

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Outlining Islamabad’s priorities while holding ECO chairmanship, Dar highlighted deepening intra-regional trade and economic integration; strengthening connectivity and transit corridors linking Central Asia with the Arabian Sea, advancing a digitally enabled ECO Free Trade Area; and enhancing regional cooperation on climate resilience.

“Pakistan looks forward to working closely with all ECO member states to translate the organisation’s shared vision into tangible outcomes and further strengthen regional economic cooperation, connectivity, and integration,” he had said during his address.