Delegations arrive in Islamabad as Pakistan hosts 30th ECO Council of Ministers meeting

Islamabad is hosting the two-day 30th meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) Council of Ministers, which begins today, and foreign delegations are still arriving in the capital.

The Foreign Office (FO) said on Sunday that its officials had received Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Musa Kulaklikaya on his arrival.

Others who have reached Islamabad for the meeting include Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Issagaliyev, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Deputy Secretary General Ahmad Saidmurodzoda and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Secretary General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

Tahsin Ertugruloglu, Foreign Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, arrived on Saturday.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will chair the ministerial session. Foreign ministers and heads of delegation from ECO member states will attend, along with officials from the organisation’s secretariat and its subsidiary bodies.

Senior officials from member states will meet before the ministers. They will review the ECO’s activities and programmes and assess the work of its subsidiary bodies. They will also settle the agenda and prepare draft outcome documents for the ministers to consider.

Pakistan holds the ECO chairmanship for 2026-27. In a statement on Saturday, the FO said Pakistan will pursue the organisation’s goals under the theme “Reviving Regionalism for a Resilient ECO.”

It said Pakistan’s term will focus on improving regional connectivity and integration, building stronger partnerships and encouraging joint efforts toward economic growth and sustainable development.

The FO added that the chairmanship is a chance to make the ECO a stronger forum for regional cooperation, dialogue and economic collaboration.

The FO also said Pakistan wants to present itself as a hub for regional connectivity. It aims to support logistics and supply chains and to help shape the region’s trade agenda.

According to the statement, these steps are meant to unlock the region’s economic potential and bring real improvements to the lives of people across ECO member states.

The ECO has 10 members: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.