IRNA � The 23rd meeting of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) started work Tuesday in Tajikistan.


Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif heading a delegation is in Tajikistan to attend the meeting.

Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are members of ECO.

The Council of Ministers (COM) is the highest policy and decision-making body of ECO. It comprises the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Member States who meet in regular, informal and extraordinary sessions.

The Council of Ministers may, if deemed necessary, propose the convening of meetings of other Ministers in the formulation of plans and projects in their respective fields through sectoral or joint ministerial meetings.

The Council of Ministers is responsible for decision on/approval of policies, strategies, work programs; appointment of senior management (Secretary General and his Deputies as well as Directors); establishment of subsidiary or ad-hoc Committees; approval of annual budgets and audit reports; setting the assessed budgetary contributions of Member States; approval of fiscal and administrative rules and regulations and organizational charts, etc.