Foreign Ministry highlights adoption of Khankendi Communiqué at 17th ECO Summit
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan has issued a statement regarding the “Khankendi Communiqué”, adopted following the 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).
Azernews reports that the statement emphasizes that the 17th ECO Summit was held on 3–4 July 2025 in Khankendi, Azerbaijan.
It notes that, ahead of the summit—initiated by President Ilham Aliyev under the theme “A New Vision for ECO: For a Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Future”—several key events took place: the ECO Youth Forum in Aghdam on 1 July, the ECO Women’s Forum in Lachin on 2 July, and the 6th ECO Business Forum in Shusha, also on 2 July.
The summit concluded with the adoption of the Khankendi Communiqué, issued as the Chair’s Summary.
The communiqué praised Azerbaijan’s large-scale reconstruction and development efforts in the liberated Karabakh and East Zangezur economic regions.
It also reaffirmed the right of return of Azerbaijanis forcibly displaced from Armenia to their ancestral lands with dignity. In line with the summit’s overarching theme, economic resilience and climate adaptation were identified as key priorities on ECO’s future agenda.
The ecological initiatives of female leaders from the ECO region—especially those of Azerbaijan’s First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva and Turkey’s First Lady Emine Erdoğan, including the “Zero Waste” initiative—were highly commended.
The communiqué also underlined the importance of launching the ECO Clean Energy Center and expanding the work of the ECO Research Center.
It voiced support for initiatives such as “ECO Investment”, the Council of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the creation of a unified information space, and strengthening the mandate of the ECO Trade and Development Bank.
Lastly, it emphasized the significance of sustainable urban development and the upcoming World Urban Forum (WUF13) to be held in Baku next year.
A link to the full Khankendi Communiqué is provided in the original announcement.
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