Ankara – April 29, 2025
The 2nd Meeting of the ECO Joint Working Group on Trade Facilitation Strategy/Agreement, hosted once again by the Republic of Türkiye, successfully in hybrid format, concluded on April 29, 2025, in Ankara. The meeting was attended by delegates from the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Tajikistan (online format), Turkmenistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the host country, the Republic of Türkiye. The ECO Secretariat delegation was headed by Mr. Seyed Mohsen Esperi, Deputy Secretary General for Trade, Investment, Agriculture, and Industry.
In his remarks, Mr. Esperi wished a successful and productive meeting to take forward the progress made in finalization of trade facilitation framework in the region. In her welcoming remarks, Mrs. Aylin Bebekoğlu, Deputy Director General at the Directorate General of International Agreements and the European Union, Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye, highlighted the significance of strengthening trade facilitation, modernizing customs infrastructure, and enhancing cooperation among ECO customs administrations.
The meeting concluded the following three major outcomes:
- The finalization of the Draft ECO Trade Facilitation Strategy, which is now ready for adoption at the upcoming ‘5th ECO Ministerial Meeting on Commerce and Foreign Trade’, scheduled to be held in Istanbul on June 25, 2025;
- The launch of technical negotiations on the draft ECO Trade Facilitation Agreement, with the ‘3rd Meeting of the Joint Working Group’ tentatively scheduled to take place in Tashkent, Republic of Uzbekistan, on May 22, 2025.
- The operationalization o the ECO Agreement on Smuggling and Customs Offences Data Bank.
These outcomes mark significant progress in the ECO’s regional trade facilitation agenda, reinforcing the shared commitment of Member States to foster deeper integration and more seamless trade across the region.
