Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly will host the second general conference of the Parliamentary Assembly of Economic Cooperation Organization (PAECO) on Tuesday (June 1) Islamabad.

The speakers and parliamentarians from the ECO Parliaments will attend the event on the invitation of National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser. Wolsi Jirga of Afghanistan Speaker Mir Rehman Rahmani, Mili Majlis of Azerbaijan Speaker Sahiba Gafarova, Supreme Council of Kyrgyz Republic Speaker Talant Mamytov, Majlisi Oli of Tajikistan Chairman Zokirzoda Mahmodthohir, Grand National Assembly of Turkey Speaker Mustafa Sentop, Majlis Oli of Uzbekistan Speaker Ismoilov Nurdinjoin and Mynbay Darkhan as head of the delegation of the House of Representatives of Kazakhstan to attend the conference.

Whereas, Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Mejlis of Turkmenistan Chairperson Gulshat Mammedova and ECO Secretary General Dr Hadi Soleimanpour would virtually participate in the meeting. President Dr Arif Alvi to inaugurate the conference. The inaugural session would comprise a welcome address of Speaker Asad Qaiser and addresses of speakers and heads of delegations of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and key note address of President Arif Alvi.

The National Assembly speaker will also preside over meeting of the executive council and general conference as per the charter of PAECO, a document agreed to acclaim the efforts of Izmir Treaty. The second conference is an effort in the direction of enhancing cooperation and understanding between and among PAECO’s member countries. It is based on the belief that parliamentarians, as representatives of the people and as policymakers, can play a pivotal role in encouraging commonality of views on matters of common interests as well as common concerns.

It is pertinent to note that the National Assembly is pioneer of PAECO and the vision behind its creation was to complement efforts of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). PAECO is an important forum, established back in 2013 initially as a body of cooperation for promoting ECO processes in line with the Treaty of Izmir and Quetta Plan of Action. Its charter is elaborative on its multidimensional activities.

It is to be recalled that PAECO was able to achieve observer status in Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) within one year of its inception in 2014. There are 2508 legislators in the parliaments from ECO members representing the will of over 450 million people. During the second conference, speakers and parliamentarians from ECO member countries will have a thought provoking discussion on parliament’s oversight role in promoting intra-regional trade and investments to ensure sustainable socio-economic development in the ECO region.

Besides deliberative agenda, speakers of some ECO parliaments will ratify the charter to formalize its launching. This will also help to further the practical ideal of fellowship and understanding. However, the greatest advantage is the opportunity to be enjoyed by members to adopt a common line of action on different regional and international issues. The permanent secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly of Economic Cooperation organization is being hosted by the National Assembly in Islamabad.