ECO meeting in Kabul on Wednesday

KABUL): Commerce ministers from member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) have arrived in Kabul on the eve of the organization’s meeting, an official said on Tuesday.

Except Azerbaijan, commerce ministers of all the member states have arrived in Kabul to attend the meeting taking place on Wednesday, said Muzammil Shinwari, head the international trade department at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Afghanistan, Turkmanistan, Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan and Azerbaijan are members of the ECO.

Shinwari said Afghanistan had invited Azerbaijan representative to attend the meeting, but the country had no embassy in Afghanistan, therefore no direct contact could be made with them.

He said Afghan commerce ministry officials would hold meetings with their foreign counterparts on the sidelines of the conference to discuss comcertial ties.

The conference was earlier planned to in May, but it was postponed because some countries’ representatives were not ready to attend.

oh/ma