BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 9. Energy, transport, and digitalization is crucial areas for strengthening regional integration and fostering development between Turkmenistan and other ECO member countries, ECO Secretary General Asad Majeed Khan told Trend in an exclusive interview.
"Energy cooperation is a longstanding and central focus for ECO. The region is endowed with abundant energy resources, including hydrocarbons and growing renewable energy potential. ECO facilitates cooperation in energy trade, electricity interconnectivity, and policy harmonization to support a more integrated and efficient regional energy market," he said.
Meanwhile, current efforts also focus on investing in energy infrastructure, boosting efficiency, and transitioning to clean, renewable sources to meet climate goals.
Transport and transit connectivity represent another core priority. "Recognizing the region’s strategic geographic position bridging Central Asia, the Middle East, and South Asia, ECO actively promotes the development of integrated and multimodal transport corridors," the Secretary General emphasized.
"Through frameworks such as the ECO Transit Transport Framework Agreement (TTFA), Member States are collaborating on infrastructure development, border crossing facilitation, and the operationalization of key regional corridors, including the Istanbul–Tehran–Islamabad (ITI) railway, the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway, and the Tajikistan–Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Türkiye (TUTIT) transit route. These initiatives aim to reduce trade costs, enhance competitiveness, and improve regional mobility," he added.
According to the Secretary General, digitalization and ICT development are increasingly being prioritized in recognition of their role in modernizing economies and enabling inclusive growth.
"ECO encourages cooperation in areas such as digital trade, cross-border e-commerce, e-governance, e-education, cybersecurity, and the expansion of digital infrastructure. The goal is to promote regulatory harmonization, digital innovation, and the integration of less connected Member States into the regional digital economy," he highlighted.
Altogether, these priority areas reflect the ECO's desire to promote deeper regional cooperation and to build a sustainable, interconnected and forward-looking economic community.