ECO ambassadors arrive in Punjab; interior minister meets US Congressmen

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Ambassadors of the Economic Coordination Organisation (ECO) have arrived in Lahore.

ECO is a regional intergovernmental organisation focused on promoting economic, technical, and cultural cooperation among member states. In addition to Pakistan, its members include Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Provincial Minister for Agriculture Ashiq Hussain Kirmani welcomed the delegation at the Lahore airport. Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the ambassadors of ECO countries have come at the invitation of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

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The first-ever meeting of the ECO Permanent Delegates Council hosted by the chief minister is underway. “The meeting will decide on ECO Capital Tourism for 2027, for which Lahore is also under consideration,” Aurangzeb said, adding that this offers an important opportunity to promote the history, ancient heritage and culture of Pakistan and Punjab.

“It is hoped that Lahore will receive the honor of ECO Capital Tourism for the first time,” Aurangzeb said.

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Meanwhile, a delegation of the United States Congressmen met with Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. The delegation includes Congressmen Jack Bergman, Tom Suozzi and Jonathan Jackson.

The meeting discussed bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest in detail. Discussions also focused on advancing cooperation in the areas of economy, trade and investment, as well as security, counter-terrorism and border security.

Sustainable relations with the US are key to Pakistan’s foreign policy, Mohsin Naqvi said, adding that Pakistan welcomes holding of the Pakistan Caucus on April 30 in the US.

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“Pakistan is a wall between terrorism and the world,” Naqvi said, adding, “Terrorism is a global challenge, [and] the international community needs to cooperate fully with Pakistan [to overcome this challenge.”

The interior minister said that intelligence and technology sharing are of utmost importance in the field of counter-terrorism.