TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 7. Afghanistan will not be participating in the upcoming 16th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit in Tashkent, Sherzod Asadov, press secretary of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, said, Trend reports.
Asadov noted that Afghanistan’s participation requires the consensus of all the ECO member countries and recognition by the world community of the country’s interim government.
Press secretary to the president recalled that Afghanistan is a member of the ECO, but due to internal political changes in August 2021, this country temporarily does not participate in the organization's activities.
"At the same time, Uzbekistan believes that the establishment of Afghanistan as a peaceful and prosperous state is an important condition for achieving stable economic development in the organization's space, and, like all ECO member states, is interested in integrating Afghanistan into regional economic processes," Asadov stressed.
Asadov added that the Tashkent summit will be the second ECO event at the highest level without Afghanistan’s participation.
The 16th ECO Summit will be held in Tashkent on November 8-9.
ECO is a regional interstate economic organization established in 1985. It includes Iran, Pakistan, Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
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