The Republic of Azerbaijan, under the Chairmanship of President Ilham Aliyev, successfully hosted the 17th ECO Summit on July 3 and 4, 2025, in Khankendi, demonstrating its commitment to promoting regional cooperation and sustainable development.
Held under the overarching theme “New ECO Vision for a Sustainable and Climate Resilient Future,” the Summit concluded a dynamic and inclusive ECO Week, held from July 1 to 4, 2025, across different cities of the Karabakh region.
The summit was also attended by:
- President of Iran Masoud Peseshkian
- President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov
- President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon
- President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyiyev
- President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan
- Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif
- Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov
- Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov
- Acting Deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar
- ECO Secretary General Asad Majid Khan.
The Summit brought together Ministers from the ten ECO Member States. Also in attendance were representatives from ECO Observers, including the Turkish Cypriot State and the Organization of Turkic States, Special Guests from Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates, and heads of international organizations, including the Secretaries General of D8, CICA, UNESCAP, TRACECA, ITF, and the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations. ECO’s Specialized Agencies and Subsidiary Bodies, including the ECO Trade and Development Bank, ECO Cultural Institute, ECO Educational Institute, ECO Science Foundation, ECO Seed Association, and Parliamentary Assembly of ECO Member States (PAECO) also participated at the Summit.
ECO leaders expressed their unified resolve to enhance regional cooperation, with particular emphasis on trade, connectivity and green transformation, while underscoring the importance of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. They also highlighted the need to deepen collaboration in key areas such as tourism, energy, science, education and cultural exchange as core pillars of the ECO framework, recognizing their vital role in fostering mutual understanding, innovation, and inclusive development across the region.
Within the Summit’s framework, series of multi-stakeholder forums were held. The ECO Youth Forum, themed “Enhancing the Role of Youth for Building a Sustainable and Climate Resilient Future,” was held in Aghdam on July 1. Following this, the ECO Women Forum, focused on “Enhancing the Role of Women for Building a Sustainable and Climate Resilient Future,” convened in Lachin on July 2. On the same day, the 6th ECO Business Forum brought together business leaders and investors in Fuzuli under the theme “Investment and Trade Promotion as a Catalyst for Sustainable Development in the ECO Region.” The substantive discussions and insights from the Youth, Women, and Business forums during ECO Week will contribute to shaping the Organization’s new vision document: Strategic Objectives of Economic Cooperation – 2035.
The 17th ECO Summit served as a crucial platform for reinforcing the shared commitment of member states to sustainable economic growth, deeper regional integration, and inclusive development. At the Summit, a significant treaty event was held where the Republic of Kazakhstan signed the Charter of the ECO Clean Energy Center, which is based in Baku. Looking ahead, the next ECO Summit is scheduled for 2027 and will be hosted by the Islamic Republic of Iran, continuing the momentum towards regional cooperation and progress.
Turkmenistan delegation took part in the 17th ECO summit “New ECO Vision for a Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Future”
On July 4, 2025, in the city of Khankendi, the delegation of Turkmenistan headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov took part in the 17th summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) “New ECO Vision for a Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Future”.
During the event, it was noted that the summit became a high-level platform for strengthening multilateral cooperation, coordinating efforts and developing agreed solutions aimed at ensuring sustainable, inclusive and balanced development.
In his speech, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R. Meredov emphasized the importance of adopting a new program document, which is designed to define the goals and priorities of economic cooperation of the ECO member countries until 2035.
Turkmenistan confirmed its commitment to the principles of multilateral cooperation within the ECO, highlighting priority areas such as the creation of effective logistics routes, diversification of energy supply routes, development of green energy, elimination of barriers to trade development, attraction of investment and development of cooperation in the field of modern technologies and innovations.
In this context, it was proposed to consider the possibility of creating a mechanism for coordinating the energy policies of ECO member states to ensure reliable supplies of energy resources and strengthen the energy security of the region.
In order to further develop the transport and transit potential of the ECO, it was proposed to carry out work on the further integration of transport and logistics systems.
The importance of enhancing direct engagement between business communities—particularly through expanded cooperation between chambers of commerce and industry—was also emphasized.
Moreover, it was affirmed that strengthening cultural and humanitarian ties will reinforce the foundation for deeper integration and shared prosperity across the ECO region.
Participants noted that the outcomes of the Summit are expected to further advance mutually beneficial cooperation among the ECO member states. ///nCa, 4 July 2025