Turkmenistan will host the second meeting of the interior ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Ashgabat, reported PressTV.
The preliminary expert-level session started on Monday to prepare for the meeting of the ministers of interior from the organization's member countries, which is slated to open on Tuesday.
In his message to the preliminary meeting, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov said that holding this meeting helps the region and the world to prevent terrorism, drug trafficking, illegal migration and other crimes.
Ashgabat has always fought against drug trafficking, distribution of illegal weapons and other organized crimes, he said in his message, adding that his country welcomes and supports all efforts against these crimes.
Iran's delegation in this meeting is headed by Deputy Interior Minister for Security and Political Affairs, Abbas Mohtaj.
The Economic Cooperation Organization was established by Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey in 1985 to promote economic, technical, and cultural cooperation among the member states. ECO is the successor organization of the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD), which remained in existence from 1964 to 1979.
In 1992, the organization was expanded to include seven new members, namely Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.