Islamabad, November 15,2026: President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) Muhammad Zikria Akbar Zia has welcomed Pakistan’s hosting of the 30th Meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Council of Ministers, describing it as a landmark opportunity to strengthen regional economic integration, expand trade and attract investment.
He said Pakistan’s assumption of the ECO chairmanship for 2026-27 should be utilized to translate regional commitments into tangible economic gains through greater private-sector engagement, stronger trade linkages and the removal of barriers to cross-border commerce.
He said the expected adoption of the Islamabad Declaration and approval of ECO Vision 2035 could provide a strategic roadmap for regional connectivity, economic cooperation and sustainable development.
Emphasizing the need for practical progress on regional trade arrangements, Zia said effective implementation of the ECO Trade Agreement (ECOTA) and Transit Transport Framework Agreement (TTFA) was essential to simplify trade procedures, reduce transportation costs and facilitate the movement of goods across member countries.
Highlighting Pakistan’s strategic geographical location, he described the proposed Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) railway project as a potential game-changer for regional connectivity, linking Central Asian markets with Pakistani seaports.
He said improved transport infrastructure and efficient transit arrangements would strengthen Pakistan’s position as a regional trade and logistics hub while providing landlocked Central Asian economies with greater access to international markets.
Zia noted that Pakistan’s growing economic engagement with Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan had created promising opportunities for expanding exports, investment and industrial cooperation.
He stressed that bilateral agreements and diplomatic engagements must translate into practical business partnerships, joint ventures and increased trade volumes. He proposed holding regular ECO business forums, trade exhibitions, business-to-business (B2B) meetings and exchanges of business delegations to connect entrepreneurs and promote commercial opportunities across the region.
The ICCI president emphasized that the private sector and chambers of commerce must play an active role in advancing ECO’s economic agenda, saying sustainable regional integration was not possible without meaningful business-to-business collaboration.
He expressed confidence that Pakistan’s ECO chairmanship would strengthen the country’s economic and diplomatic standing, adding that the success of regional cooperation would ultimately be measured by increased intra-regional trade, investment flows, employment generation and shared prosperity.
