- Erdogan asks members to take part in regional development
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) should play its effective role in building future economies, as a unique geo-strategic location of the region put the 10-member group in an ideal position.
Addressing the 13th ECO Summit being hosted by Pakistan here on Wednesday, he said that the ECO countries provided a shortest trade and transit route to Europe, which was very significant in terms of strengthening regional trade. He thanked Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and the government of Pakistan for hosting the summit.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the ECO Summit should make efforts for improved and enhanced road and transport links and invited the member countries to take part in the projects of regional development. He called for broader energy cooperation among the ECO states, terming it essential for regional prosperity. Besides economic cooperation, he said there was also a need for political solidarity with the states facing bloodshed for the benefits of the foreign powers.
President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon said that the trade and investment were key elements for regional integration and development. He stressed that the ECO member states should contribute for energy connectivity by building energy market, adding that Tajikistan was sixth in the word in clean energy market. He said the ECO countries were rich of important geographical location and it was essential that they establish links through sea and railway.
He also called for better cooperation on risk reduction and emergency preparedness. He said that peace in Afghanistan was in the interest of the whole region and his country had announced educational scholarships for 1,000 Afghan students. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev hoped that the ECO would grow as a platform of regional cooperation that would ultimately prosper the people.
He called for enhanced cooperation through improved infrastructure and communication projects. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow said that his country considered the ECO as an effective platform for dialogue in the long-term interests of the region. He said that Turkmenistan was playing an important role for regional peace and termed food, energy and overall securities inevitable for regional peace and development.
Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Bakytzhan Sagintayev said that the ECO had become a platform for regional development. He said that Kazakhstan was pursuing various projects of regional connectivity and stressed the ECO countries to execute the communication projects for regional integration. Besides investing in communication projects, the ECO states must also enhance cooperation in science and technology, he said.
Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov emphasised the need to ensure the operationalisation of projects and enhance cooperation on trade, transport and energy among member states. He viewed that it was high time to increase the effectiveness of the forum, besides translating all ideas into practical under the ECO Vision 2025.
Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Ulugbak Rozukulov said that the ECO was a route to link East with the West and the Vision 2025 would bring in development in the region. He said that Uzbekistan was playing an important role for the regional peace. He also said that his country had expertise in transportation. He shared his government’s plans of regional connectivity.
Umar Zakhiwal, a special envoy of Afghanistan, congratulated the prime minister on his election as chairman of the ECO. He said that unfortunately the ECO region remained the least developed and least connected. Besides, the potential of tourism could not be exploited, he added. He said that the regional cooperation was a component of the Afghan policy and the regional challenges could be tackled through collective steps.
ECO observers from Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Turkish Council and International Energy Charter, United Nations secretary general’s special envoy and an observer from China also addressed the summit.
