Tehran, May 29, 2025
The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) convened an online technical consultation meeting on May 29, 2025, to review and finalize the draft Protocol on Joint Trade Promotion Activities in light of recent proposals submitted by the Republic of Kazakhstan. The consultation followed the deliberations held during the 4th ECO Trade Promotion Organizations (TPOs) Forum, held earlier this month on May 6, 2025, in Karachi, Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
The meeting was attended by representatives from six ECO Member States (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, and Türkiye) alongside the ECO Secretariat. Participants engaged in a constructive dialogue addressing the evolution of the draft, its legal status, feedback received from Member States, and the structural distinction between a Protocol and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
In light of the discussions and consensus reached, the document has been renamed as the “Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Joint Trade Promotion Activities among ECO Member States.” The title has been revised for clarity and flexibility, while the legal intent and cooperative framework remain unchanged.
The final text of the MoU is planned to be tabled for a Treaty Event at the upcoming 5th ECO Ministerial Meeting on Commerce and Foreign Trade, scheduled for June 23–25, 2025, in Istanbul, Republic of Türkiye.
