Uzbekistan’s Leader: Time to Revitalize Economic Cooperation in ECO Region

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has emphasized the need to strengthen economic cooperation among member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), citing low trade volumes as a key challenge.

Speaking at the 17th ECO Summit in Azerbaijan's Khankendi, President Mirziyoyev noted that the total trade turnover among member countries stood at $94 billion in the previous year - a figure he described as insufficient given the region's potential, The Caspian Post reports via local media.

"Our current volume of mutual trade remains low," the Uzbek leader stated, calling for urgent measures to improve economic integration within the bloc.

To facilitate smoother trade and attract investment, President Mirziyoyev proposed the creation of a system of “green corridors” to expedite customs and logistics processes.

"We have put forward an initiative aimed at further improving the investment climate," he said.

The president also underscored the growing importance of regional connectivity in light of ongoing geopolitical shifts.

“Recent tensions have once again demonstrated the strategic value of transport corridors,” he said, highlighting a key infrastructure vision:

“The transport corridor beginning in China is expected, in the future, to be linked with the Trans-Afghan corridor.”