ISLAMABAD: Commerce Minister Jam Kamal and Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Secretary General Ambassador Khusrav Noziri on Friday discussed regional trade dynamics and the future direction of the ECO.
During the meeting, Minister Kamal lauded Ambassador Noziri for his exceptional service to the ECO and expressed confidence that his successor Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan would continue to advance the organisation’s activities. Kamal underscored Pakistan’s commitment to the ECO, highlighting its significant contributions to the organisation’s initiatives.
Noziri provided an overview of the ECO’s recent activities and emphasised the ongoing reforms aimed at enhancing the organisation’s regional and global influence.
He expressed optimism that these reforms would continue under the new secretary general, strengthening the organisation’s impact.
The discussion focused on strategies to boost intra-regional trade and enhance connectivity among member states. Both sides reviewed the progress of ECO-Vision 2025, which was adopted during the 13th ECO Summit in Islamabad in 2017.
Minister Kamal highlighted Pakistan’s visa-free policy for 126 countries as a model to enhance trade cooperation globally and suggested a similar ECO visa policy to facilitate trade among member states. Quorum issues for ECO meetings were also addressed to ensure effective decision-making and policy formulation.
Ambassador Noziri acknowledged Pakistan’s pivotal role in the organisation, both in trade and political spheres, being a founding member of the ECO. Minister Kamal emphasised the need for concrete and results-oriented policies to promote sustainable development in the region.
He assured the secretary general full support for the ECO reform agenda and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to enhancing intra-regional trade.
Noziri also appreciated Pakistan role in ECO and initiatives undertaken by Pakistan and suggested expanding the ECO by including Georgia and Armenia to strengthen ties between Central Asia and South Asia, with Pakistan taking a leading role.
Highlighting the need for improved connectivity, Noziri mentioned the rehabilitation of Quetta-Taftan corridor as crucial for better regional integration. He reiterated the importance of focusing on trade enhancement to make the ECO more effective in its mandate.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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