Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar arrived in Baku, Azerbaijan to attend the 20th Economic Co-operation Organisation (ECO) Council Of Ministers meeting, says a press release issued here on Monday. The Council of Ministers will review the implementation of passed decisions and consider new initiatives such as Pakistan's proposal for the establishment of the ECO Parliamentary Association and the operationalization of the ECO Trade Agreement (ECOTA) by January 1, 2013.
The Council will also approve the agenda and the Baku Declaration of the 12th ECO Summit scheduled to start on Tuesday (today) in Baku. In her statement to the Council of Ministers, Khar stressed on the need to strengthen intra-regional economic co-operation mainly commerce and trade, infrastructure connectivity and energy. She emphasised the need to develop synergies between ECO specialized agencies and institutions including the ECO Development Bank to realise the full potential of the Organisation.
She further said that the ECO Trade Agreement and the Transit Transport Framework Agreement should be translated into effective vehicles for regional economic integration. In-fact, as ECOTA progresses, ECO will become more and more relevant. She added that with the establishment of the ECO Parliamentary Association, the Organisation would acquire public ownership. On the sidelines of the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, Khar held bilateral meetings with the Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey and exchanged views on the recent developments in the region and matters relating to the Economic Co-operation Organisation-PR