Afghan Ambassador to Attend ECO Summit in Islamabad

Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal will attend the 13th Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) in Islamabad tomorrow. President Ashraf Ghani has selected Zakhilwal to represent Afghanistan in the summit. Pakistan Foreign Ministry announced that the summit will start this Wednesday in Islamabad in which head of states and top officials from 10-member countries will attend the event. Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry said the 13th ECO Summit will adopt the topical theme of “Connectivity for Regional Prosperity” as its key focus. On simmering tensions between Islamabad and Kabul in the wake of a wave of terrorist attacks in Pakistan, he said, “Peace in Afghanistan is very dear to us. Pakistan is the major victim of instability in Afghanistan and considers Afghanistan its twin brother and fully supports the peace process in Afghanistan”. The ECO was established in 1985 by Iran, Turkey, and Pakistan. It succeeded the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD), which was founded in 1964 to promote cooperation among the three member states. In 1992, the organisation welcomed seven new members: Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Afghanistan