Tashkent, 09 Nov 2023

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Thursday reiterating Pakistan’s commitment to ECO Vision 2025, called for collective efforts and accelerated reforms to achieve the Organisation’s objectives and region’s trade potential for bringing “colossal” economic and peace dividends.

“Let us make ECO an organisation not just of words, but actions, not just commitments but implementation.

It is crucial for us to work collectively and diligently to realise the goals and objectives of the Organisation. Our region, if well connected, can bring colossal economic and peace dividends for our people,” the prime minister said addressing the 16th summit of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) here.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the Economic Cooperation Organization to speak out against Israel’s attack on Gaza.

“If we, as the Economic Cooperation Organization, do not raise our voices together as Muslims today, when will we raise them?,” Erdogan told the 16th summit of the economic grouping in Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent.

“Israel continues to bomb schools, mosques, churches, hospitals, and crushing all humanitarian values,” the Turkish leader said.

Some 73% of nearly 11,000 people brutally killed by Israel in Gaza are women, children, Erdogan said, criticizing the US and West for remaining silent about Israel’s attacks on Gaza.

On humanitarian aid for the besieged Gaza enclave, Erdogan said Türkiye has so far sent 10 planes carrying 230 tons of humanitarian aid to Egypt’s El Arish airport with help of Cairo.

Israel launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestine group Hamas on Oct. 7.​​​​​​​

At least 10,569 Palestinians, including 4,324 children and 2,823 women, have been killed, according to Palestinian figures.

The Israeli death toll nears 1,600, latest official figures say.

Uzbekistan has proposed to organize an interregional industrial exhibition within the framework of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and hold its first event in its country in 2024, Trend reports.

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev in his speech at the 16th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit said that Uzbekistan has developed and submitted to the ECO Secretariat a program of joint actions to increase the inflow of mutual investments, protect them and deepen industrial cooperation.

He noted that the document is aimed at promoting new joint projects in the chemical, energy, geological, textile, leather and footwear, food, pharmaceutical and construction industries.

President Raisi called on the ECO states to pray for the powerful oppressed people of Gaza, the IRNA reported on Thursday.

During his speech, President Raisi highlighted Iran’s unconditional support for the ECO activities.

The president went on to say that Iran is determined to unite more energy and sources to make a boom in cooperation in ECO.

The positive process of cooperation in the ECO would lead to greater willingness to develop regional relations within the framework of the Organization, the president added.

He also described ECO as the most related and mature mechanism for economic cooperation in the region.

Elsewhere, the president once again touched on the issue of Gaza, condemned the West and the US’s all-out support for the Zionists’ aggression against Gaza and introduced the United States as the Israeli regime’s accomplice in its crimes against the Palestinian nation.

That millions of people from across the world rally in support of Palestine and the oppressed people in Gaza indicates that Palestine has lied at the heart of the world nations, he underlined.

As he stressed, the dispatch of humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza is the most important measure to be taken at the present time.

The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the more the Zionist regime continues its crimes, the more complicated the situation of the region becomes, he announced.

So, Iran urges immediate cessation of attacks and massacres and facilitation of international humanitarian aid to Gaza.