From 23rd to 24th of January 2023, the ESRI representatives attended meetings held within the framework of the 26th meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) held in Tashkent. The ESRI was represented by Leading Research Fellow of the Department of Local and International Cooperation, Natig Madatov and Research Fellow of the same department Shukur Guliyev.
The meeting of the Council of Ministers which took place on January 24th, 2023 will be remembered with a historic event. By signing the Charter of the ECO Research Centre, which is by the way also signed by Azerbaijan and Türkiye, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan provided a quorum for launching of the activities of the Centre.
It should be noted that the ESRI launched active advocacy and promotion campaign to make this process come true. Several think tanks of Pakistan operating under respective state bodies both within the framework of the ECO and the CAREC program were informed about the ECO Research Centre and the possible role a brotherly country Pakistan could play in launching the Centre and were kindly asked that Pakistan renders support for the establishment of this research centre.
The announcement of 2023 as the “Heydar Aliyev Year” by the head of state in reality brings about a moral responsibility to finalise the necessary operational paperwork and launch the centre. The proposal to establish the ECO Research Centre is Heydar Alyev’s initiative and the realization of this initiative on the eve of his 100 year anniversary is of fundamental importance.
