Senior ECO Member Agricultural Experts Meet Next Week In Tehran

The three-day meeting is to be held following decisions made at a meeting of the ECO member countries’ Agriculture Ministers held in Islamabad last July, added director of the International and regional Organizations’ Bureau of the Ministry of Agricultural Jihad, Mojtaba Rajab Beigi.

While reviewing and evaluating the measures taken within the framework of the ratifications of the initial meeting of the ECO member countries’ Agriculture Ministers, the session will pave the way for holding a second summit in Turkey, Rajab Beigi also noted.

Following up issues such as establishing a draught management center in Iran for the ECO region, reviewing grounds for technical cooperation in the agriculture sector between ECO member countries and Afghanistan, improving water management at a regional level, improving and developing agricultural product trade, and reviewing the establishment of a Safe Livestock Region in the border areas aimed at quarantining livestock are the objectives of the meeting, the official further explained.

Deputy Ministers from agriculture ministries of the ten ECO member countries will take part in the meeting. Pakistan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are currently country members of the Economic Cooperation Organization.

The meeting will be held from July 26 – 29, 2004 in Tehran.

RA/DWN/IS
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MNA