Concluding session: PAECO calls for boosting regional trade

Member countries urged to remove hurdles in trade and investments.

ISLAMABAD:

Full potential of Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) in trade and investment could be increased eight-fold by enhancing participation from the member countries in development projects.

This was observed by the parliamentarians from ECO member states including Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and Pakistan at a meeting of Parliamentary Assembly of ECO (PAECO) on Tuesday.

The theme of the PAECO meeting was “Parliaments’ Oversight Role in Promoting Intra-Regional Trade and Investments to Ensure Sustainable Socio-Economic Development in the ECO Region”.

The two-day conference ended with vows from members to increase the regional trade and business.

Dr Fehmida Mirza in her concluding speech called for active participation of the member states and implementation of the ECO Trade Agreement.

She also urged member countries to facilitate the private sector through supportive legislations and removing hurdles in regional trade and investments.

She also highlighted that sustainable socio-economic development is not possible if it does not address the needs of women and children. “Statistics show that almost all member states of ECO lag behind on issues pertaining to women’s empowerment or mother and child health,” said the first women speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2013.