According to the Public Relations and International Affairs Department of Kish Free Zone Organization, Gholam Hossein Mozaffari, KFZO managing director, stated that the first meeting of the Heads of Free and Special Economic Zones of ECO Member States would be held virtually on January 7, 2021, under the chairmanship of the Islamic Republic of Iran. "The meeting will provide an excellent opportunity for extensive and comprehensive cooperation between ECO member states with a focus on free zones," he said, adding that further synergies to utilize cultural capacities, increase regional cooperation and create and strengthen economic and investment interactions are among the achievements that will be gained through holding these meetings.
Referring to the cultural commonalities between ECO member countries, the CEO of Kish Free Zone Organization stated: "This webinar is also an opportunity to present the unique potentials of Kish Island and attain global recognition of the appropriate infrastructure of this zone, which will attract more capital in various sectors, especially tourism."
"In the last two years, the presence of representatives of ECO member countries on Kish Island has become more frequent and holding meetings and economic and tourism events of this organization, as well as the establishment of the ECO Permanent Secretariat on Kish, has provided the necessary platform for ECO members to engage with Kish Free Zone to promote trade, tourism, and cultural cooperation," Mozaffari added.
Noting that the population of 500 million of ECO member countries is an enormous capacity that intelligent use of it will accelerate the economic prosperity of these countries, the Director-General of Kish Free Zone Organization said: "Holding the first meeting of the heads of free and special economic zones of ECO countries to exchange experiences and capabilities and strengthen the economy of these countries is a valuable step that can lead the free zones of friendly and allied nations, mostly free and special zones of Iran in the path of continuous qualitative and quantitative growth."
The Economic Cooperation Organization or ECO is an Asian political and economic intergovernmental organization founded in 1985 in Tehran by the leaders of Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey. It provides a platform to discuss ways to improve development and promote trade and investment opportunities.
The Economic Cooperation Organization was the successor organization of what was the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD), founded in 1964, which ended activities in 1979. In 1985 Iran, Pakistan and Turkey joined to form the ECO. By the fall of 1992, the ECO expanded to include seven new members; Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The objective is to establish a single market for goods and services, much like the European Union. The ECO's secretariat and cultural department are located in Iran, its economic bureau is in Turkey and its scientific bureau is situated in Pakistan.
PR & Int'l Affairs Department- KFZO