ECO Parliamentary Moot Opens In Islamabad

Islamabad, Feb 12, IRNA – Speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly Fehmida Mirza, who initiated the idea of establishing a general assembly of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) countries, inaugurated the first parliamentary assembly conference of ECO countries (PAECO) Monday. The member countries also signed the PAECO Charter in the ceremony chaired by Founding President of PAECO Speaker National Assembly Fehmida Mirza. Iranˈs Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani addressing the conference of the PAECO stressed the importance of unity among Muslim nations. “The Islamic Republic of Iran certainly seeks democracy in Syria but democracy will not be established by arms,” Larijani said. “We have told all parties involved in the Syria unrest that they should resolve issues through political talks but we currently witness that the Israeli regime uses the critical situation in the Arab country and bombards regions there,” he added. Larijani added that ECO countries enjoy great potentials and capacities to achieve political and economic convergence. Larijani added that regional pacts and organizations can protect the interests of a region at the current juncture, emphasizing that ECO should make the most of its capacities in this regard. He stated that ECO member countries are aware of the fact that regional and international crises would affect the body’s global standing. They should use ECO’s potentials for political and security consultation to promote peace and tranquility as prerequisite of sustainable development, the top Iranian parliamentarian explained. Speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly Fehmida Mirza, in her opening address, said 10 ECO member states combine to form the largest repository of human and natural resources in the world. ˈWith a total area of around eight million square kilometers, inhabited by more than 400 million people, they represent over five percent of the worldˈs land mass and six percent of its entire population,ˈ she said. She said the adverse global and regional scenarios such as challenges concerning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, intolerance and extremism have emerged as serious threats to the regionˈs stability, peace and security. It is also because of these reasons that ECO has not been able to achieve its promised targets. ˈIt is an irony that there remains a wide gap between the regionˈs abundant energy resources and the acute needs of its member states, especially Pakistan,ˈ Dr Mirza said adding the intra-regional trade is less than US$ 50 billion. She also stressed the need to address the needs of the women and children as their plight in ECO countries was a critical area of common concern. Fehmida Mirza hoped that in the age of rapid transformation, the ECO region stands at a threshold of taking a quantum leap into an unprecedented future of unlimited opportunity and infinite hope. The assembly of the ECO parliament aims to promote people-to-people contact and coordination among their parliaments. The permanent secretariat of the PAECO will be situated in Islamabad and Mirza will be its first chairperson. The National Assembly hosted its first meeting in Islamabad in September 2012 where a charter of the assembly was drafted and agreed for formal signature by the PAECO speakers. The inaugural ceremony was also addressed by Chairman of Milli Majlis ( Parliament ) of Azerbaijan Sabir Asadov, Speaker of Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Jamil Chi-chak, Deputy Speaker of Wolesi Jirga of Afghanistan, Neamatutallah Ghauffari, Speaker of Majlis-i-namoyandgan of Majlis- Oli of Tajikistan Shukur Jon Zuhurov and Secretary General ECO Dr. Shamil Aleskerov./end