ECO SG, New ECI President Meet in Tehran
On 26th of December 2019, the ECO Secretary General, Dr. Hadi Soleimanpour, held a meeting with new President of the ECO Cultural Institute, Mr. Sarvar Bakhti.
During the meeting, the ECO Secretary General congratulated the new ECI President on his appointment and expressed hope that Mr. Bakhti’s visionary approach could pave the way for enhancing cultural cooperation in the region. Dr. Soleimanpour further expressed hope that under the reform process the organization as a whole could be able to strengthen the coordination mechanisms between the specialized agencies and regional institutions of ECO to achieve the socio-economic objectives enshrined in the Treaty of Izmir and envisioned goals under the ECO Vision 2025. He added that evolution of approaches is needed to meet the needs of the region. He also shared with the president of ECOEI consideration of reform in the organizational structure of the institute with the aim of enhancing of its efficiency as well as expansion of the membership.
The ECI President, while expressing the importance of cultural cooperation in the region through institutionalized efforts, noted that the scope of the Institute’s activities and programs could be broadened, improving and deepening the appeal and commitment of ECI. Addition of new members, branding of cultural products of the region and enhanced cooperation on cultural heritage could serve the purpose, Mr. Bakhti added.
The ECO Cultural institute is a specialized agency of ECO. The Treaty of Izmir provides for establishment of specialized agencies in social, cultural, technical and scientific fields to promote close cooperation among the Member States in these areas. Considering the deep-rooted historic and cultural affinities binding the peoples of the region, during the third ECO Summit Meeting held on 14-15 March 1995, in Islamabad, the charter of ECO Cultural Institute was signed by eight ECO Member States. The Charter was ratified by Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan.
Source: http://www.eco.int/news/88359-ECO-SG-New-ECI-President-Meet-in-Tehran.html?t=News