The ECO Secretary General received H.E. Dr Rainer Stinner, Member of Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs of Germany today in his Office. H.E. Dr. Stinner was accompanied by the Ambassador of Germany to Iran.
The two sides exchanged views on host of issues related to regional cooperation in the ECO region. The Secretary General briefed the delegation on ECO’s organizational structure, its aims and objectives, current programmes, achievements and upcoming activities etc in such areas of cooperation as trade, transport and agriculture etc. He stated that the overarching goal of the Organization is to promote conditions for sustainable socio-economic development in the region. Efforts are underway to establish a Free Trade Area in ECO region by 2015. Discussions were also held on ongoing ECO-EC joint project on “Combating Illicit Drug Trafficking from/to Afghanistan” under which 9.5 million Euros would be provided by the EC.
While referring to the potential of the ECO region especially in the areas of trade and transport, the Secretary General stated that there exists vast scope of cooperation between ECO and EC. The two Organizations can broaden cooperation in a spirit of mutual benefit in areas of common relevance and interest. The Secretary General also shed light on ECO’s efforts to enhance its external relations. He informed that the Organization has been receiving greater attention at the regional as well as international level due to its tangible achievements in terms of successful implementation of different projects in priority areas. In this regard, the Secretary General cited the example of successful trial run of ECO Container train on Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul route.
The Member of the Parliamentary Committee appreciated the significant role being played by ECO in promoting regional integration in various field of its activities. He concluded his remarks by thanking the Secretary General for comprehensive briefing and conveying best wishes for the region.
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