Pakistan Wants to Become the Hub of Regional Trade

Pakistan hosts the 30th ECO Council of Ministers on Nov 15-16 under the theme Reviving Regionalism, aiming to boost connectivity and trade and position itself as a regional hub.

News Report

Islamabad is about to become the centre of a regional conversation. Pakistan will host the 30th meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) Council of Ministers on November 15 and 16, the Foreign Office said on Saturday.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will chair the meeting. Foreign ministers and heads of delegation from ECO member states will attend, along with representatives of the organisation’s secretariat and subsidiary bodies. A meeting of senior officials will come first. It will review the bloc’s activities and programmes, assess the work of its subsidiary bodies and finalise the agenda and draft outcome documents for ministers to consider.

Pakistan holds the ECO chairmanship for 2026-27 and has chosen the theme “Reviving Regionalism for a Resilient ECO.” The Foreign Office said the chairmanship will focus on strengthening regional connectivity and integration, deepening partnerships and promoting collective efforts for economic prosperity and sustainable development.

The most striking ambition is economic. Pakistan aims to position itself as a regional connectivity hub, facilitate logistics supply chains and help shape the agenda for regional trade. The Foreign Office said these efforts would help unlock the region’s economic potential and turn regional cooperation into tangible improvements in the lives of people across member states.

Preparations are already visible. Dar welcomed arriving delegates on X, saying he looked forward to “productive deliberations.” The Foreign Office also shared the arrival of Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu, Foreign Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, who was received at the airport by ministry officials. Last month, Dar directed authorities to ensure flawless coordination and timely preparations for the meeting, underlining how much weight Pakistan places on the bloc.

The meeting follows the 17th ECO Summit, held in Khankendi, Azerbaijan on July 3 and 4, 2025, where Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif led Pakistan’s delegation. There, Pakistan called for stronger intra-regional trade, transport connectivity, energy cooperation and sustainable development. Dar has also used ECO platforms to raise concern over regional and Middle East security, a reminder that economic cooperation in this region rarely stays separate from security.

For Pakistan, hosting the Council of Ministers is both a diplomatic showcase and a test. Declarations are easy to sign, but a connectivity hub needs working roads, rail links and customs systems. What ministers agree in Islamabad this weekend, and how much of it becomes real projects, will show whether “reviving regionalism” is more than a slogan.