Foreign dignitaries continued arriving in Islamabad on Sunday as Pakistan prepared to host the two-day 30th meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) Council of Ministers, beginning today.
Among the visiting officials was Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Musa Kulaklikaya, who was received by Foreign Office officials upon his arrival, the FO said.
Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Deputy Secretary General Ahmad Saidmurodzoda have also arrived in the capital.
On Saturday, Foreign Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Tahsin Ertugruloglu reached Islamabad to attend the meeting.
Ishaq Dar to chair ministerial meeting
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will chair the ECO Council of Ministers meeting, which will bring together foreign ministers and heads of delegations from member states, alongside representatives of the organisation’s secretariat and subsidiary bodies.
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The ministerial session will be preceded by a meeting of senior officials from ECO member states. They will review the organisation’s activities and programmes, assess the performance of its subsidiary bodies and finalise the agenda and draft outcome documents for the ministers.
Pakistan sets regional cooperation priorities
Pakistan, which holds the ECO chairmanship for 2026-27, aims to advance the organisation’s objectives under the theme “Reviving Regionalism for a Resilient ECO”, according to a Foreign Office statement issued on Saturday.
The country’s chairmanship will focus on strengthening regional connectivity and integration, expanding partnerships and promoting collective efforts for economic prosperity and sustainable development.
The Foreign Office said the chairmanship would also provide an opportunity to reinforce the ECO’s role as a platform for regional cooperation, dialogue and economic collaboration.
Pakistan aims to establish itself as a regional connectivity hub, facilitate logistics and supply chains, and help shape the regional trade agenda.
These efforts are intended to unlock the region’s economic potential and translate cooperation into tangible improvements in the lives of people across ECO member states, the statement added.
Ten countries are ECO members
The ECO currently comprises 10 member states: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Iran, Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Uzbekistan.
