Today, the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev addressed the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit in the Khankendi city of Karabakh in Azerbaijan. the presidential press service said.

“I am glad to meet with the heads of delegations of the "ancient land of Karabakh, which embodies a unique historical and cultural heritage, and Uzbekistan is glad that the region is turning into a space of creativity and peace.

“I welcome the participation of the delegation of the caretaker government of Afghanistan after a long hiatus. Uzbekistan considers this country as an integral part of the organization's region, an important participant in economic cooperation and transport connectivity and fully supports it.”

“The world community is experiencing an acute crisis and most conflicts and contradictions occur in the ECO region.”

"The crisis of international law and global security institutions further weakens dialogue and cooperation, opening a wide path to the use of force. Military actions against Iran, which is a member of our organization, have created a threat of drawing the entire region into the abyss of war and the emergence of a large-scale environmental disaster".

“We support the ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel. We regard this decision as an important step towards easing tensions in the region and restoring security. I am convinced that it will create a solid foundation for resolving all problems through diplomacy and constructive negotiations".

"Considering that non-proliferation and containment of the use of weapons of mass destruction is the most pressing issue of international security, we once again call on the world community to expand the geography of nuclear-weapon-free zones".

“I call for an end to military actions in Gaza, the lifting of restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid and the creation of an independent state of Palestine in accordance with UN resolutions.”

“ We propose to identify priority areas for the development of the ECO in the medium and long term and to adopt the Strategic Goals of Economic Partnership - 2035 Concept".

“In addition to traditional areas such as trade, investment, transport, energy, industry, agriculture, ecology, tourism and education, we suggest to focus on strengthening cooperation in the areas of innovation, AI and digital technologies.”

“The volume of trade between the ECO countries remains low - in 2024 it stood at only $95 billion, or about 10% of the total international trade.”

"Simplifying trade in goods and services, the gradual elimination of technical and non-tariff barriers, and the development of e-commerce are especially relevant for the organization".

“In this regard, I propose to hold a meeting of trade ministers in Tashkent, as well as creating a system of "green corridors" for the prompt exchange of information on trade in agricultural products and their unimpeded supply.”

“We propose an initiative to adopt a long-term Ecoinvest program to take our investment cooperation to the next level, to create a more transparent and attractive investment environment. The goal of the program should be to widely attract private investors, banks and international financial institutions to promising projects in the ECO region.”

"Recent geopolitical events have once again shown how high the risk of failure of international logistics chains is, as well as the strategic importance of creating alternative transport corridors".

“The launch of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, which in the future will be linked to the Trans-Afghan Corridor. In this context, the president proposed to begin creating a Digital Transport and Customs Agency.”

“I called for developing a road map to expand tourism services and double the tourist flow within the organization and invited to hold a forum of national airlines of the ECO countries in Samarkand.”

“It is important to combine efforts in the field of ecology and combating climate change. I suggest creating a transboundary "green program" within the ECO framework to create forests and recreational areas in desert zones.”

"I am confident that today's summit will give a worthy impetus to the implementation of our great intentions and plans and will open a new stage in our multifaceted cooperation," Shavkat Mirziyoyev concluded.