The Second Meeting of the ECO Interior Ministers was held in Ashgabat on 27th May, 2008. It was preceded by Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) on 26th May, 2008. These were chaired by His Excellency Mr. Orazgeldi Amanmyradov, Minister for Interior of Turkmenistan and His Excellency Mr. Iskander Mulikov, Deputy Interior Minister of Turkmenistan, respectively.
The Meetings were attended by the delegates from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Turkey and Turkmenistan. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNODC also attended the meetings.
In a special message, the Honourable President of Turkmenistan, His Excellency Mr. Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov, stressed the significance of the Second ECO Interior Ministers’ Meeting for the campaign against terrorism, drug trafficking, illegal migration and other transnational organized crimes. These posed threats to all humanity. The President noted that such meetings helped share experiences and find joint solutions to complex issues of regional security.
The ECO Secretary General thanked the Honourable President for his message which, he said, would guide the participants in pursuing the aims and objectives of the Interior Ministers’ meeting. The Secretary General noted that the campaign was part of a higher, nobler struggle aimed at the peace and wellbeing of our people, the stability of our region, the progress of our societies and the prosperity of our countries.
The Second ECO Interior Ministers’ reviewed progress made since the previous ECO Interior Ministers’ meeting (Tehran, 1st November, 2006) and the 1st High Level Experts Group Meeting on Drugs, Terrorism and Trans-national Organized Crimes (Ankara, 29-30 April, 2008). It considered a number of security issues of common concern to the member states, including economic crimes like money laundering. The participants agreed to intensify cooperation and increase exchange of information and expertise to better address organized crimes and terrorism. The Meeting approved a Plan of Action on Drug Control and a Joint Regional Strategy on Combating Drugs, Terrorism and Trans-national Organized Crime.
The Interior Ministers endorsed the report of the Senior Officials and adopted a 21-point Ashgabat Declaration. The Declaration acknowledged that terrorism and transnational organized crimes posed serious challenges to the ECO countries and to regions beyond. The member states renewed their commitment to cooperate in combating these crimes.
The Republic of Turkey would host the Third ECO Interior Ministers’ Meeting and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan would host an Experts Group Meeting on Terrorism.
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