ISLAMABAD, 14 September 2004 — Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz left for Dushanbe yesterday to represent Pakistan in the heads of state summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member countries.
The prime minister will address the summit today and also hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of Turkey, Iran and the Central Asian countries.
Aziz will also attend a lunch hosted by Tajik President Emomali Rahmanov in honor of visiting leaders of the ECO member countries.
PML deputy Hamid Nasir Chattha, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Khusro Bakhtiar, Sen. Mushahid Hussain and Federal Minister Yar Mohammad Rind have accompanied the prime minister.
The ECO leaders will discuss how to increase trade and improve transportation and communication links, a ministry statement said.
In 1992, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey expanded an existing economic cooperation forum to include Afghanistan and the former Soviet Central Asian states of Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
