ISLAMABAD, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz on Tuesday urged members of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) to transform the grouping into a strong economic block through full exploration of its human and material resources.
Speaking at the opening session the ECO council of foreign ministers, which will finalize agenda for the summit to be held on Wednesday, he said that "immediate attention should be paid to intra-regional trade, which is far below its potential."
He underscored the need for implementation of ECO trade agreement and removal of trade and non-trade barriers besides establishing a Free Trade Area in the region.
Aziz also said that lack of regional connectivity is a major impediment to economic cooperation and said there should be focus on projects for greater connectivity.
Secretary General of ECO Halil Ibrahim said that ECO intra-regional trade has increased to 8.3 percent in 2016 as compared to 5.3 percent in 2000, adding that the ECO has signed 45 documents with the United Nations and other International organizations and these are at various stages of implementation.
Officials said the foreign ministers' council is expected to approve the ECO Vision 2025 and the Islamabad Declaration, recommended by the senior officials of the members during their two-day deliberations.
The Islamabad Declaration 2017 is expected to contain the salient points of cooperation among the members of ECO in connectivity, trade, transport and energy fields.
The ECO summit is expected to review the state of affairs of the organization in the light of the new and emerging global and regional circumstances.
The ECO, established in 1985 by Iran, Turkey and Pakistan, also groups Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The ECO council of foreign ministers will also approve the "Islamabad Declaration" to be adopted in the summit which has the theme of "Connectivity for Regional Prosperity."
