Eurasia Press & News
The 17th meeting of the foreign ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member states started work in the western Afghan city of Herat Saturday morning. The one-day meeting inaugurated by a speech by Afghan president Hamid Karzai is attended by foreign ministers from Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey as well as deputy foreign ministers from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. Uzbekistan has attended the event at ambassadorial level.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki arrived in Herat on Friday, where he attended the second trilateral meeting with his Pakistani and Afghan counterparts.
The Economic Cooperation Organization which was established in 1985 in pursuit of the promotion of economic, technical and cultural cooperation among the member states has now turned into a powerful body.
The organization was founded by Iran, Turkey and Pakistan while Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan jointed the block afterwards.
