Mirziyoyev calls for increasing aid to Afghanistan

At the onset of his speech regarding Afghanistan, the head of state drew attention to the fact that the summit was taking place without the participation of Afghanistan, a member of our organization.

"I would like to emphasize that today's summit is being held without the participation of Afghanistan, one of the members of our organization. The multi-ethnic people of Afghanistan, who have been our neighbors for centuries, cannot be left alone in the face of today's complex problems," said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

He went on to stress that Afghanistan should be approached with collective responsibility.

"The active involvement of this country in regional integration processes is an indispensable and necessary condition for our sustainable development. I call on all of you to increase the provision of humanitarian aid to the Afghan people, to address acute social and economic problems here through the prism of collective responsibility and acceptable mechanisms," stated the President of Uzbekistan.

For reference, the Economic Cooperation Organization is an international regional organization established for economic, cultural, scientific, and technical cooperation among member countries. It was founded in 1964 by Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey under the name "Development of Regional Cooperation." In the 1970s, it ceased to operate due to the decline of intra-regional trade. In 1985, it resumed its activities under the name "Economic Cooperation Organization." Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan joined the ECO at an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of member states on November 28, 1992, in Islamabad.