ECO Celebrates 30 Years of its Expansion

Economic Cooperation Organization Day is celebrated every year on November 28. On this day in 1992, ECO experienced a grand enlargement.

Founded as the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD) in 1964 by Iran, Pakistan and Türkiye, the Forum was rechristened as the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in 1985. It became operational in January 1991, with permanent headquarters at Tehran. The Treaty of Izmir is the basic constituent document of ECO.

The vision behind establishment of ECO was to expand trade among Member States, promote favorable conditions for sustained economic growth, achieve continuous improvement in the living standards of the peoples of the region, consolidate cultural affinities and spiritual and fraternal ties that bind the people of the Member States, and contribute to the growth of world trade.

ECO, being a dynamic Organization, has expanded over the years in terms of membership and mandate. Its membership, initially limited to three, has risen to ten. ECO enlarged in the early 1990s, welcoming the historically and culturally identical states of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan.

ECO region is home to more than half a billion inhabitants and stretched across 8 million square kilometers of land, connecting the north to south, south and east to the west, Asia to Europe and Eurasia to the Arab World. Composed of some Caucasus, South, West and Central Asian countries, ECO is one of the oldest intergovernmental organizations in the world. ECO has all essential elements to become one of the most prosperous regions of the world with its rich human and natural resources and deep-rooted culture and traditions.

Over the past few decades, the Organization has emerged as an effective forum of economic diplomacy and multilateral activism. ECO Member States, bearing their shared cultural and historic affinities in mind, appear to be always ready, receptive and forthcoming to complement one another, intensifying their collaboration with action and result-oriented motives to achieve the perceived target of greater connectivity and integration in the region.

The year 2022 is special for ECO as it marks the 30^th Anniversary of its enlargement. In order to commemorate the 30^th Anniversary in a very special manner, ECO has planned to hold a ceremony and a Photo Exhibition at Institute for Political and International Studies, Tehran on December 11, 2022. The invitees include diplomatic corps based in Tehran, high-ranking officials of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and staff of the ECO Secretariat. H.E. Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, being Guest of Honour, will grace the ceremony.

ECO Secretariat will also issue special edition of ECO Chronicle, comprising articles of the honorable Foreign Ministers of ECO Member States, dedicated to the 30^th Anniversary of the Enlargement. Another special edition of Chronicle highlighting rich tourist destinations, especially 74 UNESCO registered World Heritage Sites in ECO countries, will also be issued.

Today, ECO is into fourth decade of its existence. It has enlarged. It has expanded. It has enhanced its scope of cooperation. It has developed a system of bodies that assist the Organization in functioning and carrying out its goals. It has established a strong network of relations with several regional and international organizations. Considering the trajectory of the evolution of the Organization and emerging regional and international scenarios, we are hopeful and motivated that in times to come, ECO would emerge as more developed, more beneficial and an effective platform for multilateral diplomacy.

Greetings messages on the occasion of ECO Day