The meeting started with the greetings of H. E. Ambassador and Deputy Secretary General Hüseyin Avni Bıçaklı representing the ECO Secretariat together with Mr. Alim Ullah, the Head of Section of International Relations. During his greeting speech, Ambassador Hüseyin Avni Bıçaklı emphasized the importance of cooperation and regular meetings among the ECO Specialized Agencies as recommended at the 32nd Meeting of the RPC. He also stated that the main purpose of the meeting was to discuss how education, science, and culture can improve integration in the ECO region.
The opening statement was made by the President of ECOEI Prof. M. Akif Kireçci. He congratulated the new presidents and introduced the agenda items and structure of the meeting. His speech was followed by the statements of the new President of the ECO Science Foundation Prof. Syed Komail Tayebi who introduced himself and his institution. He also reported that the Government of Islamic Republic of Pakistan has signed the Host Country Agreement with ECOSF in December 2021. President Prof. Syed Komail Tayebi highlighted that the ECO Science Foundation continues its endeavors to promote scientific and technological research in order to achieve socio-economic advancement of the Member States. He noted the importance of the Specialized Agencies in implementing the goals and objectives of the Economic Cooperation Organization and urged all three agencies to work very closely together in promoting and supporting activities in the fields of education, science and culture and establish effective partnerships in order to achieve the goals in line with the ECO Vision 2025.
The President of ECOEI Prof. M. Akif Kireçci updated the Heads of the Specialized Agencies about the latest developments concerning the ECOEI, including the Ratification of the Host Country Agreement by the Turkish Grand National Assembly in May 2022. He also informed them about ECOEI’s projects, publications and activities such as the online seminar series titled “Education Thinkers Seminar Series” and the publication of the reports on the Language Teaching and Learning Workshop and the edited two-volume book Connectivities and Common Legacies in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey.
Due to technical difficulties, the delegation of ECO Cultural Institute was unable to attend the meeting. The parties agreed to hold another consultation meeting on October 17, 2022 so that they plan and organize joint activities in the presence of the ECO Cultural Institute.