The ECO Secretary General, H.E. Dr. Hadi Soleimanpour held a videoconference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, H.E. Mr. Rashid Meredov. The online interaction that took place between the two dignitaries on January 27, 2021 covered several issues of regional importance, including the amplification of collaborative activities from the ECO’s forum to push further the process of sustainable economic growth and development in the region.
Dr. Soleimanpour congratulated the Foreign Minister for the 25th Anniversary of Permanent Neutrality Policy of Turkmenistan, praising the country’s socio-economic development as well as international and political achievements under the patronage of President Gurbanguli Berdimohamadow. He also acknowledged the significant role of Turkmenistan to enrich and shoulder the Organization’s agenda as per ECO Vision 2025 and the principles of Izmir Treaty, alongside country’s appreciable contribution to achieve desirable results of regional projects, including in the areas of trade, economy, transport and energy, as well as the Organization’s engagements and activities for development in Afghanistan under the ECO Advocacy Program for Afghanistan. The ECO Secretary General further appreciated and welcomed Turkmenistan’s readiness to assume the Organization’s Chairmanship from the year 2021 and holding ECO Summit in November this year, assuring the Secretariat’s full cooperation and support to the country in its capacity as the new ECO Chair.
The honourable Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan expressed his pleasure and satisfaction over the progressive pace of ECO. He commended the organization’s recently adopted project-oriented approach and reaffirmed Turkmenistan’s continued backing to the Organization in the pursuit of accelerated regional development. Moreover, the two sides emphasized on the need of more active and consolidated actions, underscoring the utility and significance of multilateral activism to secure the desired goals for the larger interest of the region.
