A delegation of Turkmenistan headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Gurbanov took part in the First Meeting of the High-Level Committee of Deputy Foreign Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) countries, held in Tehran, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan reports.

In his speech, Gurbanov emphasized that Turkmenistan remains committed to strengthening regional cooperation within the organization. In this regard, Turkmenistan's position on priority areas of cooperation within the ECO, as well as the country's proposals for the ECO development strategy, were voiced.

In particular, Gurbanov focused on Turkmenistan's initiatives to create a Global Atlas of Sustainable Transport Connectivity, the Alliance for Cooperation in Global Energy Security and Sustainable Development, and the transition to a closed-loop economy, which has become one of Turkmenistan's key initiatives at international venues in 2024.

The importance of effective implementation of the ECO Trade Agreement, which is an important tool for deepening regional integration, promoting cooperation in tourism, strengthening human capital and institutional capacity, was also noted.

The meeting was attended by deputy heads of the foreign ministries of the ECO member states, heads of regional organizations, as well as specialized agencies, regional institutions and structural divisions of the ECO.

The meeting discussed issues of further development of financial and budgetary cooperation within the ECO, as well as the implementation of the goals of the "ECO Vision 2025" and the possibility of improving the mechanisms of this structure.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Gurbanov held a short meeting with ECO Secretary General Asad Majid Khan, during which they exchanged views on the state and prospects of Turkmenistan's interaction with the ECO.

The Economic Cooperation Organization is an intergovernmental regional organization established in 1985 by Iran, Pakistan and Turkey to encourage economic, technical and cultural cooperation among member states.

In 1992, the ECO expanded with the entry of seven new members: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.