Pakistan is set to host the 30th Meeting of the ECO Council of Ministers in Islamabad on November 15 and 16. The Foreign Office announced on Saturday that the high-level gathering aims to strengthen regional connectivity and deeper integration among member states.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will chair the meeting. Foreign ministers and heads of delegations from ECO member countries are expected to attend, along with representatives from the ECO secretariat and its subsidiary bodies. The organisation includes Iran, Turkiye, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan and five Central Asian republics.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to participate in the Islamabad huddle. His visit comes at a time when Pakistan and Qatar are actively engaged in efforts to ease tensions in the Middle East.
The ministerial session will be preceded by a Meeting of Senior Officials. This preparatory gathering will review the organisation’s ongoing activities and programmes, assess the work of its subsidiary bodies, and finalise the agenda and draft outcome documents for the ministers.
As the current chair of ECO for 2026-2027, Pakistan has chosen the theme “Reviving Regionalism for a Resilient ECO.” Under its chairmanship, Islamabad plans to focus on strengthening regional connectivity, deepening economic integration, and promoting collective efforts for greater prosperity and sustainable development across the ECO region.
Officials say the meeting offers a valuable opportunity to reinvigorate ECO as an effective platform for regional cooperation, dialogue and economic collaboration. Pakistan also aims to position itself as a regional connectivity hub and a facilitator of logistic supply chains while helping set the agenda for enhanced trade among member states.
These efforts are expected to unlock the region’s considerable economic potential and ensure that the benefits of cooperation reach ordinary people in all ECO countries.
Meanwhile, Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, has already arrived in Islamabad to take part in the 30th ECO Council of Ministers Meeting.
The two-day event is being closely watched as member states look to turn shared goals into practical steps for a more connected and resilient regional community.
