ECO Should Play Prominent Role in Building Region’s Future Economy: Iran’s President
March, 01, 2017 - TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) should play a crucial role in building the future economy of the region.
“The ECO can and should play a prominent role in building the future economy of or region,” President Rouhani said while addressing the 13th Meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) heads of state underway in Islamabad.
The two-day meeting kicked off in the Pakistani capital on Wednesday.
The Economic Cooperation Organization was founded by Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey back in 1985. It also groups Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Following is the full text of Rouhani’s speech:
In the Name God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Your Excellency Mr. Nawaz Sharif, the Honorable Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Honorable Heads of State and Government
Honorable Secretary General
Distinguished Participants
It is a great pleasure to participate in the 13th Summit Meeting of the ECO Member States in the brotherly and friendly country, Pakistan. I deem it necessary to appreciate His Excellency Prime Minister Sharif for the warm hospitality of the Pakistani government and the proper organization of this august gathering. Also, I would like to thank the Republic of Azerbaijan for its positive contributions to the Economic Cooperation Organization during its chairmanship. I am confident that with synergy and exchange of views in this summit and more understanding among the heads of Member States, we would be able to take longer strides in advancing the programs and activities of an organization.
Excellencies
Our continent Asia is going to pump the heart of the world’s economy as of the second half of the present century. The emerging Asian economies would change the direction of the world's economy from the West to the East; and this would turn to the 21st to the era of rising Asia. Economic estimates indicate that with the improvement of the economic status of some of the most effective ECO Member States in the following decade, our organization would once again prosper in Asia as the key to engagement between the East and the West in the future, a future which begins right from today and would demonstrate to the whole world that not only the ECO has not lost its philosophy of existence, but also it would exert considerable influence on the future of important region.
The unique status of our countries in transit and transport as well as energy and commerce has put the ECO in an ideal position. The ECO can and should play a prominent role in building the future economy of our region. For this to happen, the ECO is in need of restructuring, a restructuring with a view towards the new realities and fresh opportunities.
Situated on the shores of several strategic waterways of the world and being neighbor to five important bodies of water, our countries have provided unique geopolitical and territorial conditions for our organization. There is no other trade and transit route linking Europe to Asia more cost-effective and shorter than the ECO pathway.
Our organization is also significant to the world in terms of the supply and transit of energy. In 2013, we decided to declare 2022 as the decade of ECO energy cooperation improvement and progress today we stand halfway through it. However, unfortunately, our intra-regional cooperation and trade in the energy sector remain low and it is necessary for us to utilize the capacity of the ECO for improving cooperation among the Member States for the further production and trade of energy in the future.
Source: https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2017/03/01/1342856/eco-should