Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO)

Purpose

Promote economic, technical and cultural cooperation among member states, chiefly across South and Central Asia and the Middle East.

Members:

10 member states

Headquarters:

Tehran, Iran

History

ECO was founded in 1985 by Pakistan, Iran and Turkey as the successor to the earlier Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD, founded 1964), and expanded significantly in 1992 to include newly independent Central Asian states after the Soviet collapse.

Structure

• Council of Ministers
• Secretariat, headed by the Secretary-General

Key facts

• Expanded from 3 to 10 members in 1992 with the addition of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, and the five Central Asian republics
• Aims to develop regional trade and transport links, including rail and road corridors connecting Central Asia to Pakistani seaports

Pakistan's relationship

Founding member (1985), one of the organization's three original members alongside Iran and Turkey.