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

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

The agenda included issues of further development of financial and budgetary cooperation within the ECO, as well as a discussion of the implementation of the goals of the “ECO Vision 2025” and opportunities to improve the working mechanisms of this multilateral structure.

In his speech, Ahmet Gurbanov emphasized that Turkmenistan, as a responsible member of the international community, remains committed to strengthening regional cooperation within the ECO. He voiced Turkmenistan's positions on priority areas of cooperation and proposed a strategy for the development of the ECO. 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, as well as the transition to a closed-loop economy, which will become one of Turkmenistan’s key initiatives at international venues in 2024.

In addition, the importance of effective implementation of the ECO Trade Agreement was emphasized, which serves as an important tool for deepening regional integration, developing cooperation in tourism, strengthening human capital and institutional capacity.

It should be noted that on the sidelines of the First Session, a short meeting was held between Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan A. Gurbanov and ECO Secretary General Asad Majid Khan. During the meeting, an interested exchange of views took place on the current state and prospects of multifaceted cooperation between Turkmenistan and ECO.