ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari arrived in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Monday, to attend the 26th Meeting of ECO Council of Ministers (COM).

According to Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the foreign minister will pay an official visit to Tashkent, Uzbekistan on 23-24 January 2023 to attend the 26th meeting of the COM of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).

The theme of the conference is “Year of Strengthening Connectivity”.

The foreign minister will address the Council and will separately hold bilateral meetings with participating ministers of member states and other dignitaries on the sidelines of the event.

The COM is the policymaking forum of the ECO that approves the decisions and annual work plan of the organisation.

The 25th COM was held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan in November 2021.

As a founding member, the spokesperson added that Pakistan remains strongly committed to ECO which aims at the promotion of effective regional cooperation, with a special focus on communications, trade, culture, and connectivity.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023