The ECO’s chairmanship rotates amongst the Member States.
The ECO Chairmanship is rotated amongst the Member States in the beginning of each year based on alphabetical cycle.
As the current Chair of the Organization, the Republic of Azerbaijan assumed the ECO Chairmanship on January 1, 2023.
The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Mr. Jeyhun Bayramov is the existing Chairman of the ECO Council of Ministers (COM).
The Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Islamic Republic of Iran, H.E. Mr. Ali Alizade is the present Chairman of the ECO Council of Permanent Representatives (CPR).
As the current Chair of the Organization, the Republic of Azerbaijan assumed the ECO Chairmanship on January 1, 2023.
The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Mr. Jeyhun Bayramov is the existing Chairman of the ECO Council of Ministers (COM).
The Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Islamic Republic of Iran, H.E. Mr. Ali Alizade is the present Chairman of the ECO Council of Permanent Representatives (CPR).
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H.E. Mr. Jeyhun Bayramov
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H.E. Mr. Ali Alizade
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The Republic of Azerbaijan will run the Chairmanship in the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) under the theme ‘2023 – Year of Green Transition and Interconnectivity’. This theme was identified in line targets set forth in the “ECO Vision-2025”, strategies and programs on priority areas of cooperation adopted within the Organization as well as the underlying trends and cooperation opportunities in the region.
Chairmanship of Azerbaijan in ECO is guided by the main objectives of the Organization as embedded in the Izmir Treaty and aims to promote, inter alia, conditions for sustainable economic development in the region through mobilization of economic and social potentials.
The priorities of the Chairmanship of Azerbaijan are a) Green Transition and b)Interconnectivity, will be considered within comprehensive and coordinated regional context with a view to strengthening synergies among the efforts of the Member States in these respective areas of cooperation.
The priorities of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the field of economic development put special emphasis on sustainable and green energy and increasing the share of renewables in overall energy use in line with international framework and commitments. Furthermore, ensuring effective transport and energy connectivity is vital for regional cooperation.
Azerbaijan successfully applies the concepts of ‘green energy’ in the process of rehabilitation and reconstruction of its liberated territories and their economic reintegration. Establishment of new transport communications in the region is also considered from the perspective of providing benefits and new connectivity opportunities for the whole ECO region.
Chairmanship of Azerbaijan is expected to contribute to the implementation of the strategic objectives of the Organization by inter alia, focusing on the following:
Chairmanship of Azerbaijan in ECO is guided by the main objectives of the Organization as embedded in the Izmir Treaty and aims to promote, inter alia, conditions for sustainable economic development in the region through mobilization of economic and social potentials.
The priorities of the Chairmanship of Azerbaijan are a) Green Transition and b)Interconnectivity, will be considered within comprehensive and coordinated regional context with a view to strengthening synergies among the efforts of the Member States in these respective areas of cooperation.
The priorities of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the field of economic development put special emphasis on sustainable and green energy and increasing the share of renewables in overall energy use in line with international framework and commitments. Furthermore, ensuring effective transport and energy connectivity is vital for regional cooperation.
Azerbaijan successfully applies the concepts of ‘green energy’ in the process of rehabilitation and reconstruction of its liberated territories and their economic reintegration. Establishment of new transport communications in the region is also considered from the perspective of providing benefits and new connectivity opportunities for the whole ECO region.
Chairmanship of Azerbaijan is expected to contribute to the implementation of the strategic objectives of the Organization by inter alia, focusing on the following:
- Strengthening collaboration among Member States in the areas related to the theme taking into account the core principles enshrined in the ECO VISION 2025;
- Enhancing and enriching regional cooperation on sustainable energy, including but not limited to low carbon economy, renewables, transitional fuels, energy efficiency, energy conservation, financing clean energy transitions and carbon finance mechanisms;
- Promotion of scientific and technological cooperation in the field of clean energy;
- Facilitating experience sharing and knowledge transfer and enhance capacity building activities in the field of clean energy Supporting and accelerating efforts to ensure soonest operationalization and effective functioning of the institutional mechanisms and specialized agencies of ECO, including the Clean Energy Center and Research Center.
- Enhance cooperation among interested Member States in the field of production operations and distribution of crude oil, natural gas, petrochemical and petroleum products, expansion of energy transit by oil and gas pipelines, swap and others, as well as develop electricity networks;
- Facilitating intra-regional trade through providing support to development of transport and communications infrastructure; Strengthening cooperation in the area of facilitation of transit transport and increasing the transit capacities of the region, including through development of intermodal transportation;
- Encouraging activities in the field of digitalization, with special focus on digital transport corridors and connectivity;
- Further advancing the environmental aspects of regional cooperation to ensure sustainable development;
- Supporting efforts of MS on post-COVID recovery through promotion of regional initiatives on peopie-to-people contacts, including tourism, education and culture;
- Fostering synergies, where feasible, between sectorial working groups with a view to ensure sustainable and comprehensive approach to the activities carried out within the ECO bodies;
- Enhancing the role of ECO in addressing the needs and challenges of its Member States not only in the fields covered by the theme of the year, but also tackling the emerging issues of cross-cutting nature;
- Facilitating partnership among the ECO Secretariat, foreign policy offices and national government authorities in participation in and contribution to the activities in the areas of cooperation administered by the Organization, including but not limited to trade, transport and connectivity, energy, tourism, economic growth and productivity, social welfare and environment;
- Encouraging interagency cooperation with other international/regional organizations where ECO Member States share membership in order to mobilize support to the member states in their economic development agendas;
- Sustaining efforts to increase ECO’s visibility and outreach about its activities, including during the events hosted by the Chairmanship.
The above priority areas are indicative. Azerbaijan’s Chairmanship will not spare efforts to enhance multilateral cooperation to achieve common goal of economic development and prosperity in the region.
In the course of its Chairmanship, Azerbaijan will host the 27th Meeting of the ECO Council of Ministers in 2023.