Islamabad, July 3, 2025: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif departed for Azerbaijan on Thursday to attend the two-day 17th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit, being held in Khankendi under the theme “New ECO Vision for a Sustainable and Climate Resilient Future.”
Leading Pakistan’s delegation, the Prime Minister will present the country’s perspective on pressing regional and global challenges, and reaffirm Pakistan’s commitment to the ECO Vision 2025.
During the summit, PM Shehbaz is expected to advocate for stronger intra-regional trade, improved transport connectivity, enhanced energy cooperation, and sustainable development initiatives. On the sidelines of the summit, he will also hold bilateral meetings with heads of ECO member states to discuss issues of mutual interest.
Pakistan is one of the founding members of the ECO, originally established as the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD) in 1964 alongside Iran and Türkiye. The organization was renamed as ECO in 1985 and has since expanded to include 10 member countries.
ECO countries collectively conduct regional trade worth $76 billion, making the forum a crucial bridge linking North to South, East to West, Asia to Europe, and Eurasia to the Arab world. In recent years, the organization has increasingly emerged as a key platform for economic diplomacy and regional collaboration.
Pakistan last hosted the 13th ECO Summit in 2017, where member states formally adopted the ECO Vision 2025 – a roadmap aimed at regional integration and economic growth.
