Pakistan brings ECO member states together for 30th ministerial meeting in Islamabad

Pakistan is hosting the 30th meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) Council of Ministers in Islamabad today (Sunday), bringing together representatives of member states to discuss regional connectivity, economic integration and trade cooperation.

The two-day meeting, scheduled for November 15-16, will be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and attended by foreign ministers and heads of delegations from ECO member states, along with representatives of the organisation’s secretariat and subsidiary bodies.

The arrival of foreign dignitaries and senior officials has begun ahead of the meeting, with representatives from Turkiye, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan among those reaching the federal capital.

According to the Foreign Office, Turkiye Deputy Foreign Minister Musa Kulaklikaya arrived in Islamabad as head of his country’s delegation.

H.E. Mr. Musa Kulaklikaya, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye and Head of Delegation, arrived in Islamabad to take part in the 30th ECO Council of Ministers Meeting. He was received at the airport by the officials of MoFA.

#ECOCOM30th
#PakistanECOChairmanship
#ECOIslamabad

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) November 15, 2026

Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov and Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Issagaliyev also reached the capital to participate in the meeting as heads of their respective delegations.

H.E. Mr. Elnur Mammadov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Head of Delegation, arrived in Islamabad to participate in the 30th ECO Council of Ministers Meeting. He was received at Islamabad International Airport by the officers of MoFA.

#ECOCOM30
#ECOPakistanChairmanship

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) November 15, 2026

H.E. Mr. Arman Issagaliyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Head of Delegation, arrived in Islamabad for the 30th ECO Council of Ministers Meeting. He was received at Islamabad International Airport by officials of MoFA.

#ECOCOM30th
#ECOPakistanChairmanship
#ECOIslamabad

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) November 15, 2026

Meanwhile, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Deputy Secretary General Ahmad Saidmurodzoda and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed also arrived in Islamabad to attend the gathering.

H.E. Mr. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, arrived in Islamabad to participate in the 30th ECO Council of Ministers Meeting. He was received at Islamabad International Airport by the officers of MoFA.

#ECOCOM30th
#ECOPakistanChairmanship
#ECOPakistan

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) November 15, 2026

The visiting dignitaries were received at Islamabad International Airport by officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the FO said in separate posts on X.

Earlier, Foreign Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Tahsin Ertugruloglu arrived in Islamabad on Saturday to attend the meeting.

Pakistan outlines priorities for ECO chairmanship

The ministerial meeting will be preceded by a gathering of senior officials from ECO member states, who will review the organisation’s activities and programmes, assess the work of its subsidiary bodies and finalise the agenda and draft outcome documents for consideration by ministers.

Pakistan, which holds the ECO chairmanship for 2026–2027, will seek to advance the organisation’s objectives under the theme “Reviving Regionalism for a Resilient ECO”.

According to the FO, Islamabad’s chairmanship will focus on strengthening regional connectivity, deepening regional integration and expanding partnerships to promote prosperity and sustainable development across the region.

Pakistan also aims to reinforce the ECO’s role as an effective platform for regional cooperation, dialogue and economic collaboration.

The priorities include positioning the country as a regional connectivity hub, facilitating logistics and supply chains, and helping shape the regional trade agenda.

The Foreign Office said these efforts would help unlock the region’s economic potential and translate the benefits of regional cooperation into tangible improvements in the lives of people across ECO member states.