IRNA – Azerbaijan Republic on Wednesday handed over the rotating presidency of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) to Islamic Republic of Pakistan.


Azerbaijan Republic became president of the regional cooperation organization at the 12th ECO summit on 16 October 2012.

The 13th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit opened in Pakistan capital Islamabad Wednesday morning.

Pakistani Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif said at the summit that Islamabad will do its best to realize ECO programs to boost economic and trade cooperation between regional countries.

Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif, who led the Iranian delegation in the 22nd meeting of the ECO Council of Ministers, handed over the presidency of the Council to Pakistan's Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz.

ECO is a ten-member regional organization, which includes Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.