The Special Representative of Germany for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador Michael Steiner met with the ECO Secretary General on 11th August, 2010 in the ECO Secretariat. He was accompanied by the Ambassador of Germany to Iran. The two sides exchanges views on a host of issues especially regional cooperation in the context of Afghanistan and ECO’s experience in this regard
The Secretary General gave a brief introduction of the ECO, its structure, and objectives. While referring to the activities of the Organization in the area of trade, the Secretary General informed about the ECO Trade Agreement and its potential to increase intra as well as inter-regional trade. He added that by 2015 the Organization would establish a Free Trade Area in the region. The Secretary General also talked about ECO projects’ in the sector of transport and Drugs Control. He especially referred to the launch of regular operation on Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul Railway line, the upcoming ECO Silk Road Truck Caravan and the ECO-EC joint project on “Illicit Drug Trafficking to and from Afghanistan” being implemented with the technical and financial assistance of the European Commission. He expressed that the Organization is expanding its activities. A number of new initiatives are in the pipeline which would strengthen the capacity of the region to tackle emerging challenges especially related to drugs, trans-national crime, money laundering and illegal human trafficking etc.
The two sides also held discussions on the role of tripartite regional frameworks and other international arrangements on Afghanistan. The Special Representative while referring to the recent Kabul Conference stated that the event marked an important turning point in the history of the region. The international community endorsed the strategy of President Karzai lending support to an Afghan led process of reconciliation, development and reconstruction. The Secretary General stated that all the countries in the region including Iran are aware of the fact that peace in Afghanistan is critical for peace in the region. As such they all are stakeholders in the stability of Afghanistan. There is a strong desire and willingness among the regional countries to work with Afghanistan both in a bilateral as well as multilateral framework to achieve stability in the country and the region.
The Secretary General concluded by pointing to the presence of vast scope of cooperation between Germany and ECO to work together for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. The Special Representative acknowledged the presence of ECO as an effective regional Organization and praised its projects in diverse areas of operations.
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