ISLAMABAD: Pakistan prepares to hold the 294th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Council of Permanent Representatives, (CPR) meeting in Lahore from April 12-15. This will also be the first time since 2012, that it is being held in a country not chairing the council, and also being held outside Tehran.
Normally the CPR meetings were organized in the premises of the ECO Secretariat in Tehran. “Secretary-General of (ECO), Dr Asad Majeed Khan, will arrive to attend the Lahore meeting,” announced the Foreign Office.
According to the ECO Secretariat, the 294th CPR will consider preparation for the 17th ECO Summit in Azerbaijan, the Plan of Work for implementation of the Mashhad Communique, the Formulation of the new ECO Vision 2035, the Sequencing of the ECO Summit and COM meetings under one Chairmanship, HLC Report, and the ECO Tourism Capital Selection Criteria.
Speaking to The News from Tehran, Dr. Asad Majeed Khan said, “ the context of the meeting in Lahore, is basically Pakistan’s effort to launch its campaign for declaring Lahore as the Tourism Capital of ECO 2027.” Pakistan has therefore invited the Council to Lahore so they can see and experience the beauty and history of the city. The Government of Punjab has put together a very comprehensive programme for this purpose. “We will use this opportunity to introduce Lahore to the council members. The final decision will be taken at the WTO Ministerial Meeting in Rome on April 25, 26 which will announce the next ECO 2027 Tourism Capital,” added the ECO Secretary General.
The ECO is a Eurasian political and economic intergovernmental organization founded in 1985 in Tehran by the leaders of Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey. It provides a platform to discuss ways to improve development and promote trade and investment opportunities. It was established to promote cultural, economic, and technical cooperation among the member states, and in 1992, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan also became members of ECO. The geostrategic orientation of ECO allows it collectively, and its members individually, to have a substantial connection between this regional group to other international and regional economic groups.
Earlier the Foreign Office announced that Ambassador Asad Majid, as Secretary General ahead of the ECO meeting, will pay an official visit to Pakistan from April 8-10, 2025. Majid will call on Pakistan’s leadership, including the president, prime minister, deputy prime minister/foreign minister, and other federal ministers. He will present ECO’s initiatives and his reform agenda to revitalize ECO and strengthen its relations with member states and Pakistan to expand regional cooperation and development.