Mr. Arlindo Chinaglia, President of Parliament of MERCOSUR visited the ECO Secretariat in Tehran on 7 August 2017 and met with ECO Secretary General Ambassador Halil Ibrahim Akca.
Mr. Arlindo Chinaglia, President of Parliament of MERCOSUR visited the ECO Secretariat in Tehran on 7 August 2017 and met with ECO Secretary General Ambassador Halil Ibrahim Akca. At the beginning, ECO Secretary General presented an overview about ECO and its various programmes of regional cooperation aimed primarily at the promotion of trade and regional connectivity. He recalled ECO and MERCOSUR earlier contacts between ECO Secretaries General and ambassadors of MEROCUR’s countries in Tehran, including a meeting in 2011 where both sides agreed to establish a working group to explore the possibilities and areas of cooperation.
Secretary General also informed the President of the Parliament of MERCOSUR on the “Parliamentary Assembly of the ECO” (PAECO), its structure and functions. He said that Parliamentary authorities of ECO Member States have already started interactions through PAECO meetings while it will be formally functional pending one more ratification by signatories. Secretary General highlighted the importance of inter-regional interactions for both sides including through exchange of experiences in regional integration.
Mr. Arlindo Chinaglia also briefed Secretary General on the state of affairs of MERCOSUR and its parliamentary body, PARLASUL, and shared his views on possible cooperation between ECO and MERCOSUR as well as between PAECO and PARLASUL. He also requested for Secretariat’s assistance in facilitating the contacts of the parliamentarians of the two regional blocs through PAECO and PARPASUL.
Both sides agreed to continue exchange of views on optimal arrangements for cooperation and interactions between two important regional organizations. The working group as agreed in 2011; meetings between MERCOSUR Secretariat and Ambassadors of ECO Member States in Montevideo; meetings between ECO Secretariat and Ambassadors of MERCOSUR’s countries in Tehran; contacts and coordination between President of PARLASUL and current President of PAECO (Speaker of the National Parliament of Pakistan); and participation in each other’s meetings were among the measures both sides agreed as helpful in this regard.
Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) is a regional integration organization established in 1991 by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. It was later on expanded to include Venezuela. It has also 5 associated members and 2 observers. The MERCOSUR headquarters is in Montevideo, Uruguay. The MERCOSUR Parliament (PARLASUL) was established in 2006, as a body representing the interests of the citizens of the States Parties.
