Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan emphasized the importance of regional cooperation and connectivity during the 29th Meeting of the ECO Council of Ministers (ECO-COM), highlighting Pakistan\u2019s initiatives to enhance trade, transport, and digital networks across the region.<\/p>\n
Addressing the participants, the Foreign Minister congratulated Yermek Kosherbayev, Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, on assuming the ECO Chairmanship and praised the outgoing Chair, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi of Iran, along with the ECO Secretary General, for strengthening the organization. He noted that the meeting comes at a time of rapidly evolving global and regional geopolitical developments, underlining the need for collective efforts to bridge economic divides and unlock shared prosperity.<\/p>\n
As a founding member, Pakistan underscored ECO\u2019s value as a platform to reinforce multilateral engagements. Highlighting the 29th ECO-COM\u2019s focus on \u201cAdvancing Regional Transport Connectivity and Sustainable Development,\u201d the Foreign Minister stressed that integrated transport corridors remain central to Pakistan\u2019s development strategy and a cornerstone for regional integration.<\/p>\n
He outlined Pakistan\u2019s efforts to harmonize customs procedures, adopt international transport conventions including the TIR system, and align transport systems with other ECO member states. Initiatives such as the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul Rail Corridor and the Eurasian Multimodal Corridor were highlighted, alongside plans for new rail links connecting Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan to boost regional trade and stability.<\/p>\n
The Foreign Minister also reflected on the Regional Transport Ministers\u2019 Conference held in Islamabad in October 2025, which brought together officials from over two dozen countries to strengthen cooperation in road, rail, maritime, and digital transport systems. He emphasized that such connectivity can transform Pakistan\u2019s geography into a regional growth engine.<\/p>\n
Since August 2024, Pakistan has implemented a liberalized visa regime for 126 countries, facilitating business and tourism exchanges. Despite progress, the Foreign Minister acknowledged untapped potential in sustainable transport and transit trade, urging cooperation on full implementation of the Transit Transport Framework Agreement, coordinated multimodal networks, streamlined customs procedures, and climate-resilient infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Highlighting Pakistan\u2019s digital ambitions, he announced the deployment of a new submarine cable system offering 13.2 Tbps bandwidth, intended to enhance cloud services, fintech, e-commerce, and digital connectivity across ECO member states.<\/p>\n
The Foreign Minister stressed that peace and security are essential for regional connectivity, urging ECO members to jointly confront terrorism and climate change challenges. He highlighted that climate resilience must be embedded in economic cooperation through green infrastructure and regional adaptation strategies.<\/p>\n
Finally, Pakistan expressed gratitude to member states for designating Lahore as the ECO Tourism Capital for 2027 and extended a warm invitation to visit. The Foreign Minister concluded by welcoming all delegates to Pakistan for the 30th ECO-COM meeting next year, reiterating the goal of fostering peace, progress, and prosperity in the region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan emphasized the importance of regional cooperation and connectivity during the 29th Meeting of the ECO Council of Ministers (ECO-COM), highlighting Pakistan\u2019s initiatives to enhance trade, transport, and digital networks across the region. Addressing the participants, the Foreign Minister congratulated Yermek Kosherbayev, Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, on assuming […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":65899,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,16],"tags":[103],"ppma_author":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-69125","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-latest","8":"category-pakistan","9":"tag-top-stories"},"yoast_head":"\n