Pakistan Hosts 30Th ECO Ministerial Meeting in Islamabad

Foreign ministers and senior delegates from 10 member states arrived in Islamabad on Sunday for the 30th meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) Council of Ministers.

The two-day session, which formally begins on Monday, marks Pakistan’s assumption of the organization’s chairmanship for the 2026-27 term.

The meeting is chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. According to the Foreign Office, the event is being held under the theme “Reviving Regionalism for a Resilient ECO,” with a focus on strengthening regional connectivity, logistics supply chains, and intra-regional trade.

Delegates from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkiye, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are participating in the proceedings. The gathering is also attended by representatives from the ECO Secretariat, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Foreign Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Tahsin Ertugruloglu arrived on Saturday, followed by a series of high-level arrivals on Sunday, including Turkmenistan’s Rashid Meredov and representatives from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and the Kyrgyz Republic. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is also expected to arrive on Monday, according to statements from the Iranian foreign ministry cited by WANA News Agency.

Diplomatic Engagements in Islamabad

On the sidelines of the Council of Ministers meeting, Ishaq Dar held bilateral discussions with several regional leaders and organization heads. In a meeting with ECO Secretary General Asad Majeed Khan, Dar emphasized the necessity of deepening economic integration and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to hosting the ECO Summit in 2027, according to the Foreign Office.

Dar met with OIC Secretary General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed. The Foreign Office reported that during the meeting, Dar welcomed the OIC Secretary General on his first visit to Islamabad since assuming office this year.

Separately, Dar met with Ambassador Sultan Hajiyev, the Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), to discuss peace and security cooperation.

Regional Connectivity Objectives

The ministerial meeting follows a preliminary gathering of senior officials who met to finalize the agenda and review the progress of the organization’s subsidiary bodies. While the bloc aims to foster cooperation in energy, industry, and tourism, the current session serves as a strategic platform for Pakistan to position itself as a regional trade hub.

Pakistan will seek to advance the objectives of the Economic Cooperation Organisation under the theme “Reviving Regionalism for a Resilient ECO” during its 2026-27 chairmanship, with the success of the initiative depending on whether agreed-upon measures translate into real projects. The council’s deliberations are scheduled to conclude on Tuesday, following which Foreign Minister Araghchi is slated to travel to Oman for further consultations.