President Ebrahim Raeisi says Iran “unconditionally” supports the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) as the most relevant and mature mechanism of economic cooperation in the region.
In his address to the 16th summit of ECCO held is held in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, on Thursday, Raeisi said Tehran is determined to mobilize more resources and energy for the improvement of cooperation under the Asian political and economic intergovernmental organization.
“Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran, with the support and cooperation of many independent countries and its international partners, is working to establish a just system on the basis of respect and deepening multilateral convergence,” he said.
“The positive trend of cooperation in the ECO, and the growing interest of member states in enhancing relations within the framework of the ECO, strengthen our long-standing belief that the organization is still the most relevant and mature economic cooperation mechanism in our region.”
The Iranian president said the ECO has a rare capacity built on solid foundations such as growing populations, abundant natural resources, and above all, a culture that breeds.
The Tehran-headquartered ECO was established by the Islamic Republic, Pakistan, and Turkey in 1985. The main purpose of the 10-member organization is to promote economic, technical, and cultural cooperation among the member states.
“The firm will of all ECO members to create a safe, stable, and prosperous region and the resolve to play an effective role in international arenas are valuable assets shared by the member states. International systems are now more than any other time in the contemporary period exposed to change. We firmly believe this change must be aimed at boosting the discourse of justice and freedom from the system of domination and coercion. Multilateralism has now clearly lined up against unbridled unilateralism,” Raeisi stated.
“I would like to reiterate the unconditional support of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the ECO organization and its activities. We are determined to mobilize more resources and energy for the development of cooperation in ECO.”
Before delivering his formal speech at the summit, Raeisi, in a shorter speech, strongly condemned the crimes of Israel against the Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
“Today, supporting Palestine and the oppressed people of Gaza is the standard of honor for countries, and the governments that support the Israeli regime are the most dishonorable on earth.”
At the end of the first speech, the Iranian president stopped for a few minutes out of respect for the thousands of Palestinian women and children who have been martyred in Gaza since October 7.
