CPEC, Gwadar dominate ECO ministerial talk
ISLAMABAD: The ministers of Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) member states on Tuesday approved Islamabad Declaration 2017 and agenda of the 13th ECO Summit being held here today (Wednesday).
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would inaugurate the 13th ECO Summit which would be attended by five heads of states including Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuham-edow and three heads of government Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Bakytzhan Sagintayev, Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov and Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Rustam Azimov.
However, Afghanistan is not participating at the highest political level and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who earlier refused to attend the Summit, has assigned Afghan Ambassador Dr Omer Zakhilwal to participate in the summit as his special envoy.
The Council of Foreign Ministers of Economic Cooperation Organisation, which met here ahead of the ECO Summit, approved the ECO Vision 2025 and the text of the Islamabad Declaration, recommended by the senior officials of the member states during their two-day deliberations which called for cooperation among the member counties in connectivity, trade, transport and energy.
Assuming the chairmanship of the 22nd Council of Ministers Meeting, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz called upon the ECO member states to take benefit being offered by China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects and Gwadar Port which would bring down the cost and time of transportation considerably.
He told the minister of the ECO members that Pakistan is taking serious steps towards upgrading its road infrastructure in order to facilitate smooth flow of goods with our neighbours.
We are confident that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor would galvanise trade opportunities with the ECO region, he said, adding that from road from Gwadar Port to Taftan border and revival of the Silk Road are significant projects in this regard.
He said that Pakistan has also launched Integrated Transit Trade Management System to revamp the transport infrastructure. We have also made good progress in combating the scourge of terrorism and extremism through a comprehensive strategy of law enforcement and targeted military operations. We are, therefore, confident of providing safe transit passage for smooth flow of trade activities without any barriers, he added.
Aziz pointed out that the ECO region is poised for economic prosperity, peace and stability through enhanced regional connectivity, greater integration and removal of trade barriers.
Greater connectivity among the member states through rail, road, sea and air linkages will act as a catalyst to boost intra-region trade. The ECO region can benefit from the CPEC and Gwadar port as it would bring down the cost and time of transportation considerably, he added.
Let us all work towards transforming the ECO region to a formidable economic bloc and realise the vision of our leadership by using the full potential of our natural and human resources, he further urged the ministers of the ECO member states.
He also identified the priority areas for ECO to help realise the dream of transforming the organisation into a strong economic bloc.
He said immediate attention should be paid to increase intra-regional trade which is far below the potential and also called for implementation of ECO trade agreement and removal of trade and non-trade barriers, besides establishment of a free trade area in the region.
He pointed out that lack of regional connectivity was a major impediment to economic cooperation, adding that for movement of goods, there should be focus on corridor-based projects for greater connectivity different corridors.
He also emphasised on the need for increasing the membership, scope and activities of ECO Trade and Development Bank as well as ECO Re-Insurance Company and also proposed enhanced cooperation of public and private sectors of member states through ECO Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
He suggested an increase in membership and ratification of ECO Science Foundation to promote scientific and technological cooperation in the region. He also called for using the platform of Parliamentary Assembly of ECO to promote democratic values among member states.
The Adviser pointed out that the region is faced with multiple challenges including terrorism, drug trafficking and other trans-regional organized crimes, adding concerted efforts are required to meet the challenges and take forward the development agenda of the region.
In his address to the meeting, the outgoing chairman of the Council of Ministers, Irans Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said the organisation should invest more time and energy in implementation of ECO Vision 2025.
He said the member states want the ECO to focus on projects and programmes which bring about maximum economic benefits to members and the region as a whole.
He said continued regional cooperation within the ECO framework would require enhanced institutional and operational capacities in the organisation. He also expressed the confidence that the Vision 2025 and associated plans of action would broaden regional integration and cohesion.
Secretary General of ECO Halil Ibrahim, in his address to the meeting, stressed the need for sustained efforts and exploring all possibilities for harnessing the full potential of the ECO for development and prosperity.
He pointed out that population of ECO region has reached 471 million and its GDP has crossed one trillion dollars. He further pointed out that ECO intra-regional trade has increased to 8.3 per cent in 2016 as compared to 5.3 per cent in 2000.
The secretary general highlighted projects and plans being implemented in different fields including trade and investment, transport, communication, energy, environment and others.
He said the ECO has signed 45 MoUs and agreements with UN System and other international organisations and these are at various stages of implementation. He said the ECO is in the process of developing a regional framework for disaster risk reduction.
Later, a statement was issued, which stated that the meeting was chaired by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and was attended by the foreign ministers and representatives of the ECO member states and observers.
Representatives of international organisations also attended the COM as special guests. Secretary General of ECO Halil Ibrahim Akca represented the ECO Secretariat.
The meeting deliberated on the progress made since the last COM. Secretary General Akca briefed the council on the recent activities of the secretariat and progress made in various fields, inter alia, trade and investment; transport & communications; agriculture and food security; energy and environment; and international relations.
The meeting also discussed the developments of ECO since its expansion and exchanged views on the possible reforms needed for keeping pace with the evolving requirements of regional cooperation.
The COM adopted the ECO Vision 2025 as recommended by the Senior Officials Meeting (SOM). The Vision document focuses on sectoral priorities of the organisation and serves as a roadmap/guideline for the medium-term success of the organisation. The agenda for the 13th ECO Summit to be held on March 01, 2017 was also finalised.
The COM recommended to the Summit adoption of the Islamabad Declaration 2017. The Declaration focuses on the Summits theme Connectivity for Regional Prosperity besides the salient points of cooperation among the members of ECO in the fields of connectivity, trade, transport, energy etc.
The meeting participants renewed their commitment to promote regional economic integration among the ECO member states and resolved to play an active role for the realisation of the organisations aims and objectives.