Kabul stresses regional economic cooperation

KABUL calls regional economic cooperation a top priority, affirming its commitment to peace, stability and prosperity in Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) states.

Afghanistan’s ambassador to Pakistan Dr. Zakhilwal said the ECO and other regional organisations could play an important role of in expanding regional economic integration.

Speaking at 22^nd ECO Council of Ministers meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday, the president’s special envoy called for collective action to meet the common challenges facing the member states.

A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted him as saying there was need to reshape “our policies that promote peace, stability and trust building as core objectives”.

Foreign ministers of Iran, Turkey and representatives of other ECO countries attended the meeting, which was chaired by Sartaj Aziz, adviser to prime minister on foreign affairs.

The council finalised the ECO Summit declaration, Vision 2025, budget for 2017 and the calendar of events for the current year, the statement added.

pr/mud