At ECO meeting, DPM Dar raises deep concern over regional, Middle East security situation

New York (Web Desk): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Saturday raised serious concerns over the deteriorating security environment in the region and the Middle East, while reaffirming Pakistan’s resolve to seek peaceful solutions to disputes in line with international law.

He called on the member countries of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) to pool their resources and capabilities to advance peace, strengthen resilience and create shared prosperity for the region’s nearly 500 million people.

According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO), DPM Dar presided over the 27th Informal Meeting of the ECO Council of Ministers (COM) in New York, held on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Pakistan is serving as chair of the ECO Council of Ministers for 2026–2027 under the theme “Reviving Regionalism for a Resilient ECO.”

The gathering was attended by foreign ministers and senior officials representing ECO member countries, including Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Zheenbek Kulubaev, Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Turkiye’s Deputy Foreign Minister Berris Ekinci, Turkmenistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vepa Hajiyev, Uzbekistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Laziz Karaev and Kazakhstan’s Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Beibut Kulatayev. ECO Secretary General Dr. Asad Majeed Khan also briefed the Council.

The deputy prime minister thanked the ECO member states for entrusting Pakistan with the chairmanship and reiterated Islamabad’s determination to pursue the organization’s objectives and deepen cooperation across the region.

Dar presented Pakistan’s priorities for its ECO chairmanship, which include expanding trade and economic integration among member states, improving connectivity and transit links between Central Asia and the Arabian Sea, moving forward with a digitally enabled ECO Free Trade Area and strengthening joint efforts to enhance climate resilience.

The ministers and heads of delegation also reviewed regional and international developments and voiced their support for closer cooperation among ECO countries.

The meeting further helped advance preparations for the 30th ECO Council of Ministers meeting, which is due to take place in Islamabad in November 2026.

“Pakistan looks forward to working closely with all ECO Member States to translate the Organization’s shared vision into tangible outcomes and further strengthen regional economic cooperation, connectivity, and integration,” it was further added.