TEHRAN, Nov. 28 (MNA) – Holding the 15th ECO Summit in Ashgabat with the presence of the Iran President is a very valuable and important opportunity to develop Iran's cooperation with neighboring countries, including in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, attention to regional convergence increased, and the ECO, as a convergent organization, played a greater role in the economic development of member countries and was even able to establish contacts with similar organizations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in East Asia.

Most ECO member countries seek to adjust their economic structure and strengthen their economies and reduce their economic dependence on trans-regional countries, and the Islamic Republic can be a good partner for ECO member countries in terms of strengthening relations with its neighbors and strengthening its economy.

Iran's economy and the ECO countries are complementary, and the members of the Economic Cooperation Organization have a variety of capacities in different areas that Iran can benefit from. These include several important areas such as trade, investment, transportation, energy, agriculture and tourism.

In the field of trade, ECO member countries can encourage the private sector to cooperate by reducing tariffs on commercial goods, eliminating unnecessary customs regulations, and facilitating the issuance of visas and the registration of commercial companies.

In the field of transit and transportation, the completion of transit lines including the Rasht-Astara railway and the increase of the capacity of the Sarakhs-Tajan railway in Turkmenistan and the development of other transit routes will lead to the rapid growth of economic cooperation.

The tourism capacity in the ECO region is also very high, and if, just as the ASEAN member states abolished visas for the people in this area, the ECO can also have visa abolition or visa facilitation on the agenda, strengthening tourism links in this geographical area and revenues. increase. The arrival of each tourist creates 9 jobs and at the same time, strengthens cultural interactions.

In the agricultural sector, given that some ECO countries have abundant water and some are facing drought, if extraterrestrial crops are considered, low-water countries can grow crops in another country that has water, and then Both countries should benefit from its economic benefits. This is a very good possibility that should be considered.

Due to the location of four ECO members, namely Iran, Turkmenistan, the Republic of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan on the Caspian Sea, it is possible to increase bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the field of oil exploration and transfer of oil and gas resources.

ECO countries can be very active and effective in the field of environment, especially in the field of the environment of the Caspian Sea and the lakes and wetlands of the region.

In the field of security, the emergence of ISIS in Afghanistan is a threat to the security of ECO countries. Therefore, a serious and joint fight against terrorism, organized crime, drug trafficking and human trafficking are among the cooperation of ECO countries.

Holding the 15th ECO Summit in Ashgabat is an opportunity to reduce political differences and strengthen friendly relations. This transformation and the creation of political stability and security in the region can increase the amount of investment and boost trade.

Overall, the President's visit to the ECO member countries, both bilaterally and multilaterally, has good achievements for the country and is a symbol of strengthening Iran's neighborhood policy.