Azerbaijan to chair ECO until August 2014

The chairmanship of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) will pass to Azerbaijan from Afghanistan for a three year term in August, the government told Trend on Thursday.

"In this regard, Shamil Alasgarov will be appointed Secretary General of ECO from August 13, succeeding Yahya Maroufi," the source said.

Shamil Alasgarov previously worked as Deputy Secretary General of ECO, at the UN as well as having other posts.

An ECO summit is planned to be held in Baku on October. The ninth summit of the organisation, whose members are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan, was held in Baku in May 2006.

Turnover of Azerbaijan with the member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation grew by 37.8 per cent in 2011.

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


/Trend/