ECO states to establish fund to implement TTFA

Islamabad: Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) member states will establish ECO fund with 150,000 dollars for implementation of Transit Transport Framework Agreement (TTFA. This was decided in the four-day meeting of the Regional Planning Council (RPC) of ECO member states here on Thursday, they added.

They said the member states would also contribute to the fund. The CPR will transfer 50,000 dollars from the feasibility study fund, while the Transit Transport Coordination Council (TTCC) and Council of Ministers (COM) would also contribute 100,000 dollars to the fund in instalments.

They said the RPC showed satisfaction over the efforts of the member states to implement the TTFA as a comprehensive framework legal basis for the promotion of the regional transport cooperation. The council also appreciated the hospitability of Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Turkey for hosting meetings of TTCC and insurance committee, road committee and railway committee, respectively.

They said the council welcomed the idea of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and Pakistan for jointly submitting a presentation to the seventh ministerial meeting on transport and communication.

They said ECO secretariat apprised of the meeting for preparing a technical assistance project for regional programme on the implementation of the TTFA and submitting it to the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). Subsequently, the bank showed its readiness to include the project in its work programme for 2008.

They said the meeting appreciated the IDB's decision to include the ECO projects for establishing the railway line, bypassing Van Lake in Turkey, rehabilitation of Taftan-Quetta railway in Pakistan and enhancement of the capacity of Sarakhs Station in Iran in its work programme.

Sources said the council meeting welcomed the decision of the fourth meeting of the ECO postal authorities held in Baku on October 9-10, 2007 to issue a joint ECO stamp on the occasion of 10th ECO Summit to be held in October 2008 in Islamabad. The stamp would be finalised three months before the summit.

They said Pakistan offered to provide training facilities for the experts and officials of member states in postal areas. Pakistan will convey the details of its proposals very soon. They said it was also decided in the meeting of the RPC to hold fist test videoconference among Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkey during the next meeting of the heads of telecommunications authorities to be held in April in Tehran.

They said taking into consideration the high rate of trade and economic growth and the need for matching development of transport infrastructure in the region, the RPC asked the member states to actively participate in the preparation of the next phase of the programme of action for the ECO Decade of Transport and Communications.

They said the council took note of the ongoing efforts to enhance cooperation between the ECO landlocked member countries and transit ones. The issue would be covered in the next phase of the programme of action for the ECO Decade of Transport and Communications, with special emphasis on the implementation of the UN Almaty programme of action on special needs of landlocked countries.

They said the completion of Kerman-Zahedan railway in near future and idea of launching a demonstration train from Islamabad to Istanbul after completion of necessary constructions in Iran also discussed in the RPC meeting.

The technicalities of this issue would be discussed in the expert group meeting to be established with the participation of ECO secretariat, relevant regional and international donors or organisations as well as representatives of Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey, they concluded.