DUSHANBE , May 4, Asia-Plus - A Tajik government delegation led by Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov left today for Azerbaijani capital city of Baku to attend the 9 th ministerial meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) a summit of presidents and prime ministers of member nations of ECO, presidential press service reported.

According to the source, the Tajik delegation consists of Saymumin Yatimov, First Deputy Foreign Minister, Abdulvohid Karimov, Chairman of the Committee for Environmental Protection and Forestry, Ramazon Mirzoyev, Tajik Ambassador to Iran also Tajikistan’s Representative to ECO, as well as heads and senior representatives of a number of ministries and organizations. 

Saymumin Yatimov will participate in the 9 th one-day ministerial meeting that is being held in Baku today.  This meeting will be followed Friday by a summit of presidents and prime ministers of member countries of the Organization.   

Participants in today''s ministerial meeting are discussing latest developments within the organization as well as prospects for future among its 10 member states -- Iran , Afghanistan , Pakistan , Azerbaijan , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan , Turkey , Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan .  The meeting is focusing on the ways to promote trade cooperation among ECO member states as well as the possibility of establishing a bank for the organization.

Tomorrow''s 9th summit of ECO member states will be attended by presidents of Azerbaijan , Afghanistan and Iran , as well as prime ministers of other ECO member states.  A final declaration will be issued at the end of the summit on major agreements reached and decisions arrived at by member states.

Tajik Prime Minister is expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings with on sidelines of the Eco summit in Baku .  

The ECO held its 8th summit in Tajikistan on September 14, 2004 .

ABOUT: Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) is an intergovernmental regional organization established in 1985 by Iran , Pakistan and Turkey for the purpose of promoting economic, technical and cultural cooperation among the Member States.  ECO is the successor organization of Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD), which remained in existence since 1964 up to 1979.  In 1992, the Organization was expanded to include seven new members, namely: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Republic of Azerbaijan , Republic of Kazakhstan , Kyrgyz Republic , Republic of Tajikistan , Turkmenistan and Republic of Uzbekistan . The date of the Organization’s expansion to its present strength, 28 th November, is being observed as the ECO Day.