Iran Calls for Deeper ECO Integration to Tackle Regional Challenges

On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi delivered an online address to the 29th meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Council of Ministers.

Chaired by Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev, the meeting reviewed ECO’s achievements in 2025 and set the course for the organization’s future initiatives under its new vision, “Strategic Objectives of Economic Cooperation – 2035.”

The virtual session was attended by foreign ministers and deputy foreign ministers from ECO member states. Representatives from ECO specialized agencies, subsidiary bodies, observers, and partner international organizations—including the Turkish Cypriot State, Organization of Turkic States, and CICA—also participated.

Full Statement of Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi:

Distinguished Chairman, Minister Yermek Kosherbayev,

I begin by congratulating you on your chairmanship of this important ECO Council of Ministers meeting and extend my greetings to all fellow ministers and officials present.

Regrettably, despite all efforts, including my own, to hold this meeting in person, we must convene virtually. As the Chairman of the 28th ECO Council of Ministers meeting in Mashhad, I hope that our 29th meeting today, despite its online format, will uphold the ECO Council’s vital role.

The interval since our last meeting in Mashhad in December 2024 until the 30th COM meeting in 2026 marks the longest gap ever between our gatherings. We must maximize exchanges of views, discussions, and retreats to ensure that our organization functions at its best. This is especially critical as ECO Summits have shown growing attention from our Heads of State, with the Council of Ministers and the ECO Secretariat serving as key enablers for implementing their directives.

As I noted in Mashhad, the ECO region has the potential to emerge as one of the most dynamic areas within the Global South if our collective capacities are fully harnessed. Recent summits demonstrate strong political will for enhanced ECO cooperation at the highest levels, and the Council must continuously reinforce this momentum.

Recent Regional Developments

Since the 28th COM in Mashhad, significant regional events have occurred. Notably, in June 2025, Israel and the United States launched aggressive, unlawful attacks on Iran, targeting civilians, nuclear facilities, and public infrastructure, causing substantial human and material losses. Our armed forces exercised their legitimate right to self-defense, safeguarding Iran’s people, sovereignty, and territorial integrity while preventing escalation in the region. I commend ECO member states for their responsible support during this crisis.

Since our last Council meeting, Iran hosted key ministerial meetings, including the Interior and Transport Ministers meetings, facilitating discussions on transport, logistics, cross-border movement, disaster management, law enforcement, and drug control. Additionally, a major development occurred in Istanbul, where ECO trade ministers adopted a two-year roadmap to renegotiate ECOTA, aiming to break the long-standing deadlock in regional trade liberalization—boosting trade cooperation across the ECO region.

Future Vision and Cooperation

Following the Mashhad meeting, ECO member states and the Secretariat began developing a new 10-year vision document. This strategy seeks paradigm shifts to strengthen resilience, integration, and regional capacity against future challenges. The ECO Vision Committee will ensure that the new framework enhances connectivity—both physical and technological—while driving sustainable regional development.

Iran also congratulates Turkmenistan for successfully hosting the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in August 2025 and stands ready to collaborate on the implementation of the Awaza Programme of Action to benefit all seven ECO landlocked states.

Commitment to ECO

Iran’s support for ECO remains unconditional. President Pezeshkian’s participation in the ECO Summit in Khankandy during the period of Israeli and US attacks demonstrated this commitment. Over the past decade, ECO membership has shown growing ownership and engagement—a spirit we aim to strengthen further. We also commend Pakistan for stepping in to assume ECO chairmanship starting 1 January 2026.

In conclusion, I thank ECO Secretary-General Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan for his visionary leadership and warmly welcome Minister Mottaghi from Afghanistan to our meeting today.