Iran’s FM Attends ECO Council of Ministers’ informal meeting in New York

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi who is in New York to attend the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly participated Friday in the 27th Informal Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) chaired by Pakistan.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, who is in New York to attend the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly, participated Friday in the 27th Informal Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), chaired by Pakistan.

Araghchi thanked Pakistan and the ECO Secretariat for organizing the meeting and emphasized the importance of strengthening regional cooperation among member states.

Referring to the current state of the international system, Araghchi said the meeting was being held at a time when the world is facing growing uncertainty and fragmentation, while international law and international humanitarian law are increasingly being affected by acts of aggression.

Referring to the US-Zionist military aggression against Iran over the past two years, the Iranian foreign minister said the Islamic Republic of Iran, despite its firm commitment to diplomacy and negotiations, has fallen victim to the illegal, aggressive and terrorist actions of the United States and the Israeli regime.

Pointing to the material and moral damage caused by the military aggression of the United States and Israel against Iran, as well as the martyrdom of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, a number of senior military commanders, more than 4,000 Iranians, and 168 schoolchildren in the city of Minab, he added that numerous infrastructures, including hospitals, civilian airports and historic buildings, were targeted and damaged during the imposed war by the aggressors.

Araghchi also referred to the resistance of Iran’s powerful armed forces and people, stressing that none of the aggressors’ sinister objectives were achieved thanks to the resistance of the Iranian people and the strength of the Armed Forces, and that Iran emerged from this historic test proud and more dignified than ever.

The foreign minister went on to emphasize the Islamic Republic of Iran’s determination to enhance regional cooperation, saying Iran is committed to strengthening regional cooperation and solidarity and believes that ECO can play a more active role in promoting economic and trade cooperation, regional connectivity and sustainable development among its member states.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Araghchi referred to recent developments within ECO and highlighted the resumption of several important meetings of the organization that had been suspended for several years, including ministerial meetings on trade, internal affairs and the environment.

The foreign minister also cited the adoption of a five-year roadmap for cooperation in the mining sector, a 10-year strategy for sustainable and resilient transport in the ECO region, and the launch of the process to amend the ECO Trade Agreement (ECOTA) as examples of the member states’ collective determination to strengthen regional cooperation.

Referring to the process of finalizing the ECO Vision for the coming decade, he expressed hope that the document would be considered and approved at the 18th ECO Summit in Tehran, with the aim of ensuring its feasibility, measurability and effective implementation.

The foreign minister also described the development of transport infrastructure and regional connectivity as other important areas of cooperation among member states, saying the expansion of ECO corridors and their growing links with major freight and logistics hubs, including those connected to China, would strengthen the region’s role in international trade and transit networks.

Araghchi described the growing trend of regional tourism and the expansion of intra-regional trade as signs of the gradual strengthening of the foundations of economic integration in the ECO region, while emphasizing that areas such as energy, human resources, agriculture and industry, and the environment remain among the region’s key priorities.Thanking the member states for their commitment and the efforts of the ECO Secretariat under Ambassador Majid Khan, he stressed the need to continue this process and make use of the organization’s capacities to advance the common objectives of its member states.

In another part of his remarks, the foreign minister referred to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s hosting of the 18th ECO Summit in Tehran on December 3-4, 2026, emphasizing the importance of holding the summit at the highest level.

Araghchi stressed that the valuable participation of the leaders of ECO member states in the summit could send an appropriate message to the peoples of the region and the international community.

The foreign minister concluded by expressing hope that, through strengthened regional and multilateral cooperation, peace, security and prosperity would be further realized around the world and that unilateral coercive measures and acts of aggression that fuel instability and insecurity would come to an end.