Islamabad, Mar 4 (PTI) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday urged the leaders of Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) nations to increase connectivity and economic linkages in the region.

Speaking at the 14th Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) Summit, held virtually, the prime minister highlighted the need for close collaboration for enhanced connectivity, trade linkages and energy flows within the ECO region, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

The theme of the Summit was “Regional Economic Cooperation in the Aftermath of Covid-19”.

Pakistan is one of the founding members of ECO, in addition to Iran and Turkey. The Organisation was formed in 1985 from the erstwhile Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD).

Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan later joined as members of ECO.

Khan recalled that the ECO Vision 2025 was adopted during the 13th ECO Summit in Islamabad in March 2017 and proposed a mid-term review of progress of its implementation and expansion of requisite cooperation.

The prime minister underscored the importance of dialogue between ECO and other regional and international organisations to advance mutually-beneficial collaboration.

He underlined the importance of peace and stability in Afghanistan for success of physical integration in the ECO region.

Khan also welcomed the ECO rail connectivity projects such as Istanbul-Tehran-Islamabad (ITI) commercial cargo train and stressed timely completion of cross-border energy projects such as TAPI gas pipeline and CASA-1000 electricity grid.

He said that for Pakistan, “the vision of the ECO's regional economic integration is an essential component of a strategy to transform the tensions of geo-politics into the dividends of geo-economics.”

Khan also highlighted the regional and global health and economic consequences of COVID-19, and elaborated Pakistan's "people and poor-centric approach" to tackle the pandemic.

The prime minister congratulated Turkey on successfully organising the Summit during these challenging times.

It was decided that the 15th Summit of ECO will be held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on ECO Day, November 28, 2021.

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