Statement by H.E. Ambassador Bekzhasar Narbayev,Secretary General of ECO

Review of the status of theECO-ASEAN Cooperation

Annex-V

Excellencies,

 

          I feel really honored to be here to listen the invaluable thoughts of our esteemed ministers and delegates from ECO and ASEAN countries. I will keep all these policy statements before me for my guidance in my pursuit of developing relations between ECO and ASEAN.

 

          This is also in the line of the desire of our leaders who in their Bishkek Declaration (2003) and the Istanbul Declaration of last year emphasized on ECO to develop relations with ASEAN and other international organizations.

 

          Ten areas have been identified by our previous meeting to build our edifice of cooperation but due to some unavoidable circumstances, meaningful progress could not be made.

 

          After our previous meeting we now have two new Secretaries General both in the ECO and ASEAN. H.E. Ong Keng Yong joined ASEAN in the first quarter of this year and I joined ECO, just over a month ago. Mr. Ong Keng Yong had the pleasure of meeting my predecessor last July. Today I have the honour to meet him. We have full record of the briefing given by him on ASEAN in our 8th Consultative Meeting of Executive Heads of Sub-Regional Organiztions. Reading of its record was a learning experience. I am sure Mr. Ong Keng Yong also have the first hand account of ECO, from my predecessor.

 

          Now we know our work and level of expertise in all ten areas chosen for our cooperation. I intend to send a senior ECO staff shortly to ASEAN Secretariat to identify and propose ways, in consultation with the staff at the ASEAN Secretariat, for enhancing cooperation between our two organizations.

 

          I hope Mr. Ong Keng Yong will also send his coordinating officer on these matters to ECO Secretariat to help carry out this study.

 

          As has been said, we the regional organizations, have a responsibility to create a model of cooperation and prosperity for the larger goal of globalization. Our success will create a good precedent.

 

          A meaningful cooperation between our two organizations will help inter-regional cooperation at Asia level and this will be a prelude to inter-continental cooperation, an example of which was seen in recent Asia-Africa sub regional meeting in Bandung, Indonesia.

 

          With this, I wish to thank you all for your patient hearing and frank discussion.

 

          Thank you Excellencies.

       

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