TEHRAN –- The Secretary General of the Economic Cooperation Organization, Khurshid Anwar told Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) that Iran plays a key role in ECO’s goals furtherance.

Referring to the effects of the ECO members’ economies on the organization, he said that Iran is a key member of ECO thanks to its strategic geographical situation and economic power especially in the fields of agriculture, transportation, and energy.
He said approving the ECO Trade Agreement (ECOTA) by Iran will accelerate the trade among the ECO member countries.
Khurshid Anwar disclosed that Iran has a healthy economy despite the inflation rise in the country, believing the economic challenges in the country are short-term and its economy is capable to surmount them.
The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) is an intergovernmental international organization involving ten Asian nations. It provides a platform to discuss ways to improve development and promote trade, and investment opportunities.
Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are the ECO members. The common objective is to establish a single market for goods and services, much like the European Union.
ECO's secretariat and cultural department are located in Tehran, its economic bureau is in Turkey and its scientific bureau is situated in Pakistan.
ECO was established in 1985 as a trilateral organization of Iran, Pakistan and Turkey to promote multi dimensional regional cooperation with a view to creating conditions for sustained socioeconomic growth in the Member States