DUSHANBE, 04.07.2025 (NIAT Khovar) – On July 4, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Leader of the Nation, Honorable Emomali Rahmon, participated and delivered a speech at the 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Leader of the Nation, Emomali Rahmon, expressed gratitude to the Head of the host country for the warm welcome and holding of the summit.

Emomali Rahmon called trade and economic cooperation with the member states of this organization one of the priority areas of Tajikistan’s foreign policy.

At the same time, great attention was paid to the expansion of cooperation within the framework of ECO in the sectors of trade and transport, energy, industry and agriculture as an important condition for ensuring sustainable development in the region.

In this regard, it was considered necessary for the Secretariat of the Organization, along with analyzing and reviewing the results of the implementation of the document «ECO Vision 2025», to develop another document in cooperation with the member states aimed at fully utilizing the existing potential of trade and economic cooperation.

It was emphasized that, despite the negative impact of complex political and economic processes in the world, the economic development of the member states of the Organization generally maintains a positive trend.

The Head of State, Emomali Rahmon, expressed his opinion on the volume of trade between the member states, noting that its share in 2024 was 33% of the total volume of foreign trade of Tajikistan, which is 18% more than a year ago.

In this direction, the development of transport links and multimodal transport corridors was considered important.

Tajikistan’s support for the elimination of trade and transport barriers, simplification of transit, and the connection of land, rail and air networks of the member states was emphasized.

The Head of State, Emomali Rahmon, proposed that in order to increase the efficiency and transparency of cooperation in this area, necessary steps be taken to digitize transit and trade documents.

In the opinion of our Head of State, such a measure will contribute to the expansion of trade and ensuring its security, as well as saving time and increasing international transportation.

The President of the country, Emomali Rahmon, at the 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), drew the attention of the participants to the issues of development and expansion of cooperation between member states in priority energy sectors, including the increasing use of renewable energy, the production of «green» energy and the development of the «green» economy.

The Head of State, Emomali Rahmon, called the full implementation of the project to build the CASA-1000 high-voltage power transmission line important for the participating countries and the development of the Strategy for ensuring energy sustainability in the ECO region in the interests of the work.

During his speech, the Head of State, Emomali Rahmon, also expressed Tajikistan’s support for expanding cooperation between the member states of the Organization in the field of industry and agriculture. It was considered necessary to support and increase financing for the establishment of joint industrial enterprises, especially small and medium-sized ones, as this initiative will undoubtedly contribute to the creation of new jobs and an increase in production, including in the light and food industries.

Ensuring food security, developing agro-technologies, forming “smart” agriculture and establishing agro-industrial complexes were named as other areas of effective cooperation.

In connection with climate change, it was emphasized that ECO member countries remain vulnerable to the negative impact of its consequences. The incidence of floods, landslides, avalanches and other natural disasters, which annually cause significant damage to the economies of the Organization’s member countries, is increasing.

Therefore, it was considered necessary to take specific measures within the Organization to reduce the consequences of climate change and the threat of natural disasters.

Further cooperation between countries within the framework of environmental protection programs, restoration of the ecological system, and exchange of experience and technologies in these areas was considered beneficial.

The forum emphasized that Tajikistan is interested in continuing to strengthen beneficial cultural and humanitarian ties within the framework of ECO. In this regard, it was considered advisable to give a new impetus to cooperation in the fields of science and education, healthcare and tourism.

Recalling the current complex situation in the world and the escalation of the situation in the Middle East, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, stated that our country supports the de-escalation of the situation and the restoration of lasting peace in the Middle East only through political and diplomatic means.

In his closing remarks, the Head of State, Emomali Rahmon, stated that the outcome of today’s meeting will give an effective impetus to the development of multifaceted cooperation within the framework of the Economic Cooperation Organization.