Tehran – December 1, 2025
The Economic Cooperation Organization celebrated the 40th Anniversary of its inception and the 32nd Anniversary of its Expansion, during a special ECO Day Reception, on December 1, 2025. The event brought together ambassadors and permanent representatives of member countries, diplomatic corps representatives, host government dignitaries and local guests.
H.E. Dr. Seyed Reza Salehi Amiri, Honourable Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of the Islamic Republic of Iran graced the reception as the Chief Guest.
In his remarks, ECO Secretary General Dr. Asad M. Khan highlighted ECO’s legacy in regional development, tracing its roots to 1964 when Iran, Pakistan and Türkiye established the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD). Renamed as the Economic Cooperation Organization in 1985, ECO expanded in 1992 to include Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Dr. Khan noted that 2025 has been a very successful year for ECO to advance regional cooperation, through Ministerial Meetings in trade, transport, tourism, and law enforcement, as well as the milestone 17th ECO Summit and ECO Week held in Azerbaijan. Mentioning the increasing appetite of the member states for enhanced regional cooperation in various areas, he remarked that the Organization is working towards a more successful year 2026 and onwards, with the preparation of the new vision document Strategic Goals of Economic Cooperation – 2035, as well as the already scheduled several Ministerial and high-level events in environment, industry, transport, energy, tourism, agriculture, disaster risk reduction, information and communication technologies, and law enforcement. He also informed the gathering about ECO’s global outreach and its closer ties with international partners, including the UN Agencies, SCO, CIS, EAEU, ASEAN, and AIIB.
The event featured a screening of an ECO documentary and a photo exhibition showcasing the Organization’s accomplishments and initiatives.
