ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is aiming to enhance regional connectivity and bolster trade partnerships with regional countries at a meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) being held in Islamabad on Nov. 15-16, according to the Pakistani foreign office.

Originally formed by Iran, Türkiye and Pakistan as the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD) in 1964, the organization was renamed as ECO in 1985. In the 1990s, ECO expanded to include countries such as Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as its members.

The organization aims to create amenable and conducive conditions to promote sustainable economic development in the region, aiming to strengthen joint welfare and wellbeing of member states.

The 30th meeting of the ECO Council of Ministers is being chaired by Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar. It is being attended by foreign ministers and heads of delegations of ECO member states, representatives of the ECO Secretariat and its subsidiary bodies.

“Pakistan’s chairmanship will focus on strengthening regional connectivity and deepening regional integration to strengthen regional partnerships, and promote collective efforts toward greater prosperity, sustainable development, and a more integrated and resilient ECO region,” the foreign office said on Saturday.

The summit will also provide an opportunity to reinvigorate the ECO’s role as an effective platform for regional cooperation, dialogue, and economic collaboration, according to the foreign office.

Islamabad’s chairmanship of the inter-government alliance offers a chance to position Pakistan as a regional connectivity hub, facilitator of logistic supply chains and an agenda setter for regional trade.

“These efforts will contribute toward unlocking the region’s considerable economic potential and ensuring that the benefits of regional cooperation are translated into tangible improvements in the lives of the people of ECO member states,” the foreign office said.

Pakistan has been working to strengthen its position as a key trade and transit hub, connecting landlocked Central Asian states to the global market through its strategic location. The year 2024 saw a surge in visits, investment discussions and economic activity between Pakistan and Central Asian nations as well as Gulf countries for that purpose.

The summit comes as Islamabad aims to reduce its reliance on bilateral and multilateral creditors, and instead seeks profitable partnerships in trade and connectivity with regional countries.