ISLAMABAD: Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) Secretary General Dr Hadi Soleimanpour concluded his three-day official visit to Pakistan on Sunday.

This was his maiden visit since he assumed the office of secretary general of the ECO, a political and economic regional organisation founded in 1984 by Pakistan, Turkey and Iran. In 1992, it was expanded to also include Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

According to an official statement, during the visit, the ECO secretary general paid courtesy calls on President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan and also met Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

Dr Soleimanpour apprised the leadership about the ECO’s initiatives and activities as well as his reform agenda to revitalise the ECO as a regional economic organisation.

The Pakistani leadership emphasised the ECO’s importance in the context of regional connectivity and trade liberalisation.

Dr Soleimanpour held discussions with the foreign minister and the foreign secretary on challenges faced by the ECO and its specialised agencies.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2019