Azernews.Az

The Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Economic Cooperation (ECO) has supported an initiative of establishing the ECO Parliamentary Assembly.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov presented a report on the work done at the 20th meeting of the Council of Ministers (COM) of the Economic Cooperation Organization in Baku on Monday.

He said that the Council discussed the prospects of cooperation between the ECO member-countries.

"We have considered different initiatives to further develop the organization's activity, particularly in such areas as trade, transport, communications, energy, industry, agriculture, environment and health," he said.

Mammadyarov added that the ECO Council of Foreign Ministers has also reviewed the implementation of agreements reached earlier, as well as cooperation issues between ECO and regional organizations.

"The Council stressed the significant progress achieved after the previous ECO Summit held in Istanbul," he said.

The Council of Foreign Ministers has provided the Council of Turkic-speaking countries with an observer status in the ECO.

The ECO Council has appreciated the work of prominent figures and representatives of the Council, their recommendations to improve the ECO dynamism and efficiency.

Mammadyarov said that the Postal Union of the ECO member-states has also been created.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation was founded by Iran, Pakistan and Turkey in 1985. In 1993 the organization was granted observer status at the UN and a year later in the Organization of Islamic Conference, now the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.