Azernews.Az

The 23rd Meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Regional Planning Council (RPC) kicked off in Tehran on Monday, AzerTac state news agency reported.

An Azerbaijani delegation is participating in the three-day event.

The RPC, held annually, focuses on the policies and programmes of the organization, and evolves the calendar of events for the coming year. New plans and programmes are drawn up in accordance with the principles and objectives of regional cooperation as laid down in the Treaty of Izmir, as well as policy guidelines and directives of the Council of Ministers.

In the meeting, seven committees on priority areas of cooperation and service directorates will hold discussion on various activities of the organization.

During the meetings, the RPC and its Working Committees would discuss issues of regional significance. These would include such fields as trade and investment, transport and communications, energy and minerals, agriculture and environment, industry and tourism. The participants would also discuss ECO`s Specialized Agencies, relations with regional and international organizations as well as the ongoing Programmes/Projects. The Calendar of Events for the year 2013-2014 will be considered in line with the new proposals and initiatives.

The Regional Planning Council plays an important role in promoting the aims and objectives of ECO. The Council has technical committees to assist it in its task. The plans and programmes endorsed by the RPC will be submitted to the 21st Council of Ministers (COM) for approval.