Baku [Azerbaijan], July 5 (ANI/WAM): On behalf of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology participated in the 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO), held today in the city of Khankendi in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The UAE's participation in the summit comes in response to a special invitation extended by President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan to the President of the UAE. This reflects the strong ties of friendship and the growing cooperation between the two countries across key sectors of mutual interest.

The summit witnessed the participation of a number of regional leaders, including President Ilham Aliyev of the Republic of Azerbaijan; President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the Republic of Turkiye; President Masoud Pezeshkian of the Islamic Republic of Iran; President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of the Republic of Kazakhstan; President Sadyr Japarov of the Kyrgyz Republic; President Emomali Rahmon of the Republic of Tajikistan; President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of the Republic of Uzbekistan; Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan; Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov; and Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs of Afghanistan, Abdul Ghani Baradar.

On the sidelines of the summit, Sultan Al Jaber held a bilateral meeting with President Ilham Aliyev.

The meeting reviewed the latest developments in bilateral relations and joint initiatives, and explored new opportunities for collaboration in energy, renewable energy, and infrastructure.

Al Jaber also met with Rashid Meredov, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between the UAE and Turkmenistan in priority sectors of mutual interest.

The Economic Cooperation Organisation is a regional intergovernmental organisation. Its current member states include Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkiye, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

The organisation aims to strengthen economic and developmental cooperation among member states, with a focus on the economy, trade, energy, transportation, agriculture, and environmental sustainability. (ANI/WAM)