ECO Secretary General visit to International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology

ECO Secretary General visit to International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology

ECO Secretariat, Tehran, 11 July 2006

Press Release

ECO Secretary General H. E. Mr. Askhat Orazbay paid a visit to the International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIEES) and met with IIEES President on Monday, 10^th July 2006 during which expanding IIEES-ECO cooperation on earthquake and other related issues were discussed.

In this visit, Professor Mohsen Ghafory-Ashtiany, President of International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology while welcoming the ECO Secretary General, briefed on the background of establishment, different section and programme/activities of the Institutions including organizing international conferences on seismology and earthquake risk reduction and training courses.

Considering that ECO countries are located in one of the seismically active areas of the world, frequently suffer destructive and catastrophic earthquakes and has experienced a large number of damaging earthquake in recent years for example in Iran and recent damaging one in Pakistan, Dr. Ashtiany emphasized that there is the need for strengthened cooperation among ECO Member States and proposed to consider ways to enhance cooperation under ECO umbrella on this issue.

H.E. Askhat Orazbay informed IIEES Officials of the ECO activities particularly new areas of cooperation under ECO including the recent workshop on the “ECO School Earthquake Safety Review” which was held in 1-2 June 2006 in Turkey Istanbul. He welcomed expanding cooperation and initiating activities for ECO Member States and proposed that IIEES may initiate to hold the 1^st meeting of Heads of Earthquake Institutions in ECO Countries with the goal of preparation a plan of action for cooperation of ECO members on this issue or establishing a network among these institutions. Mr. Orazbay also added that IIEES may organize training courses for ECO region participants in their annual calendar of activity with assistance of other involved international organizations i.e. UNESCO and UNDP. These proposals may come officially through Islamic Republic of Iran Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be included in the upcoming activities of the organization.

The proposals were appreciated by IIEES officials and was agreed to put it in the agenda to be followed up for the next working year (2007).

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