ECO panel meets in Tehran to approve its annual work plan

ISLAMABAD: The 35th meeting of the Regional Planning Council (RPC) of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) kicked off in Tehran on Monday with the participation of delegations from the relevant ministries and agencies of the organisation’s member countries, including Pakistan.

“The RPC, as a key decision-making body of the organisation, will discuss and approve the annual work programme of ECO at its secretariat, with participation of senior officials from the ECO member states to plan theorganisation’s activities for 2025,” Ambassador Dr Asad Majeed Khan, ECO secretary general, told The News from Tehran.

Preparations are also being made for the 17th ECO Summit to be held on July 3-4, 2025, in Azerbaijan, when Kazakhstan will take over as chair of the ECO.

The ECO is a regional intergovernmental organisation launched in 1985 by Iran, Pakistan and Turkiye with the aim of promoting economic and cultural cooperation among member countries. Since 1992, its number of members has increased to 10 countries which include Pakistan, Iran, Turkiye, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The ECO has been promoting economic, technical, and cultural cooperation among the member states with its main objective to establish a single market for goods and services, much like the European Union.

“Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran Ambassador Muhammad Mudassir Tipu will lead Pakistan’s delegation with three representatives from the Planning Ministry also joining the meeting physically. Another around 45 participants from various line ministries will attend the four-day meeting virtually,” said Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan.

When asked about the participation of Afghanistan and whether the RPC would take up the issue of terrorism, Khan said Afghanistan is not invited as the matter of its participation remains under review and that terrorism is not on the RPC agenda.

“The RPC is the forum that is responsible for approving the ECO Programme of work/activities for the whole year and involves the line ministries of all member states. We as ECO Secretariat will service the RPC”, he added.

According to a statement issued by the ECO Secretariat, the RPC would be particularly important to mark 2025 as a milestone year with several important ministerial meetings on trade, tourism, finance, transport, interior affairs, and sustainable development.

In his welcome address, Ambassador Dr Asad M Khan highlighted ECO’s key achievements over the past year and provided an update on major flagship initiatives, programmes and projects, particularly during 2025.

“He reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to regional economic cooperation amid evolving global political and economic challenges. He also emphasised the significance of the ECO work programme and calendar of events for 2025,” added the statement.

This, he noted, presents a crucial opportunity to make 2025 a milestone year for ECO, as it marks the conclusion of Vision 2025—a pivotal moment to assess progress and define future priorities. Following the plenary session, sectoral committee meetings of the RPC commenced and will continue until February 27, 2025.