TEHRAN, DEC 19 (DNA) – Mirshojaeian Hosseini said that all the three countries would also speed up their efforts to establish border markets.
He said that the 28th meeting of the Regional Planning Council (RPC) of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) discussed border trade markets, environment, combating natural disasters and cooperation in clean energy.

The deputy minister said that Iran will expand trade and border cooperation with Pakistan and Turkey which would help in bringing economic prosperity in the border regions.

He said that all the three countries have also agreed to enhance cooperation to stop smuggling in the bordering areas.

The Iranian official expressing his views said that the meeting also agreed to make Istanbul-Tehran-Islamabad rail and road network more effective for the three important countries of the region.

He said that Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Iran and Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran corridors also came under discussion.

The Iranian official said that keeping in view the changing economic scenario in the world cooperation among ECO countries is inevitable.

In the meeting the ECO countries have agreed to double the trade volume among the member states from the current $60 billion to $120 billion.

The ECO was established in 1985 by Iran, Pakistan and Turkey which was later joined by seven new members; Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.