Category: 2. World

Press Release
ISSI Hosts Public Address by ECO Secretary General Asad Majeed Khan on “ECO, Regionalism and the New Geopolitical Dynamics”
August 20, 2025

The Centre for Strategic Perspectives (CSP) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) hosted a Public Address on “ECO, Regionalism and the New Geopolitical Dynamics.” The event brought together a wide range of participants including academics, think-tank experts, and practitioners. Ambassador Dr. Asad Majeed Khan, Secretary General of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), was the Guest Speaker.

In his welcome remarks, Director General ISSI Ambassador Sohail Mahmood noted that the current global environment was marked by turbulence and transformation in which major-power competition was accentuating and globalisation and multilateralism were under severe stress. Regionalism, however, was not as challenged, except for in regions like South Asia. If ECO could provide a successful model of regional cooperation then there could be a good demonstration effort for the South Asian region.

Ambassador Sohail Mahmood noted the timeliness of the ISSI event as Secretary General Asad Majeed had just returned from the 17th ECO Summit in Khankendi, Azerbaijan (3–4 July 2025). He highlighted the symbolism of Karabakh — a region once defined by conflict — hosting a summit of transformation and hope. At the gathering, ECO members pledged to expand trade, enhance transport and digital corridors, deepen energy cooperation, and build climate resilience. While intra-regional trade rose to USD 96.5 billion in 2022 from USD 76 billion in 2021, it still accounts for only 9.1% of the region’s total trade—signaling untapped opportunities. He also noted persistent challenges, including border conflicts, terrorism, sanctions, and regional disputes. Sanctions on certain member states have further restricted economic prospects, while tensions between Pakistan and India pose a challenge to regional stability and wider regional connectivity. The Israel-Iran conflict of 2025 has also disrupted critical trade and energy routes, underscoring the fragility of regional integration. Ambassador Sohail Mahmood expressed cautious optimism, noting that recent U.S.-mediated efforts at reconciliation between Azerbaijan and Armenia may open new trade and energy corridors in the South Caucasus.

Ambassador Sohail Mahmood stressed that ECO’s future is both an opportunity and responsibility for Pakistan, given its role as a natural conduit linking Central Asia with the Arabian Sea. He underlined three priorities for advancing regional integration: investing in resilient infrastructure to connect markets and people; strengthening energy cooperation to balance security with clean energy transition; and advancing digital connectivity to empower youth and foster innovation. In an era where global multilateralism is under strain, he emphasized, ECO’s regional potential offers a vital path forward.

In his wide-ranging Public Address, Ambassador Asad M. Khan shared a comprehensive overview of ECO evolution and its institutional development. He also reflected on Pakistan’s enduring role as a founding member of ECO, tracing its origins from the RCD in 1964—Asia’s first regional development organization—to its expansion in 1985 with the inclusion of Central Asian states, Azerbaijan, and Afghanistan. He highlighted ECO’s natural basis for cooperation through shared cultural, religious, and economic ties and noted that its comprehensive institutional framework. Trade, he stressed, is central to ECO’s relevance, and efforts are underway to address challenges related to the ECO Trade Agreement (ECOTA) and the Visa Scheme. Disparities in infrastructure, historic trade patterns, and geopolitical tensions exacerbated further challenges, but the Organization is working actively address them.

Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan warned that climate change is an existential threat, with floods, droughts, and water stress undermining development across ECO states, calling for greater cooperation in renewable energy, adaptation, and water management. Yet, he acknowledged progress in energy connectivity projects and tourism promotion, while underscoring the need for deeper private sector engagement beyond government-led efforts. Reflecting on the 17th ECO Summit in Khankendi, he described it as a defining moment that renewed commitments to connectivity, trade facilitation, and sustainable development. With stronger political will, institutional reform, and regional solidarity, he expressed optimism that ECO could fulfill its founding vision and emerge as a meaningful platform for prosperity in the region.

Ambassador Inam-ul-Haq, Former Foreign Minister of Pakistan, highlighted ECO’s continued potential as a vehicle for regional integration, noting that its strength lies in fostering multilateral economic and developmental cooperation among member states. He emphasized the need to move beyond national-level approaches, particularly on pressing challenges like climate change, energy insecurity, and sustainable development, by adopting coordinated regional strategies. Developing countries, he observed, can benefit greatly from enhanced South-South cooperation—pooling resources, sharing expertise, and jointly building resilience—rather than relying exclusively on external support for climate finance and technology transfer. Pakistan, given its high vulnerability to climate impacts, can play a catalytic role in shaping such collaborative responses, helping ECO harness its collective strengths to address shared challenges more effectively.

The session concluded with an interactive discussion where participants explored a wide range of issues: diplomatic engagement, regional trade, energy cooperation, the role of information technology and education, youth engagement and empowerment, and emerging non-traditional security challenges. The dialogue reflected the diversity of perspectives on how ECO can be revitalized to meet the demands of the 21st century.

Ambassador Khalid Mahmood, Chairman ISSI, concluded discussion with a vote of thanks, commending the valuable contributions of the speakers and participants, and presented the Institute’s memento to the Guest Speaker.

India and China agreed on Tuesday to resume direct flights and step up trade and investment flows as the neighbours rebuild ties damaged by a 2020 border clash.

The Asian giants are cautiously strengthening ties against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s unpredictable foreign policy, staging a series of high-level bilateral visits.

The two countries would resume direct flights and boost trade and investment, including reopening border trade at three designated points, and facilitate in visas, the Indian foreign ministry said.

Direct flights have been suspended since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. No date was given for their resumption.

The latest statements came at the end of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s two-day visit to New Delhi for the 24th round of talks with Indian National Security (NSA) Adviser Ajit Doval to resolve their decades old border dispute.

The border talks covered issues related to pulling back troops both countries have amassed on their Himalayan border, delimitation of borders and boundary affairs, the Indian ministry said.

Both countries have agreed to set up a working group to consult and coordinate on border affairs to advance demarcation negotiations, a Chinese foreign ministry statement released on Wednesday showed.

It said the mechanism will extend talks to cover the eastern and middle sections of the border. Meanwhile another round of talks on the western section will be held as soon as possible, the ministry said.

Beijing also said both countries agreed to meet again in China in 2026.

“Stable, predictable, constructive ties between India and China will contribute significantly to regional as well as global peace and prosperity,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X after meeting Wang.

Modi is scheduled to travel to China at the end of this month to take part in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation — his first visit to the country in more than seven years.

Tibet dam

A readout from the Chinese foreign ministry said Wang told Doval that “the stable and healthy development of China-India relations is in the fundamental interests of the two countries’ people.”

The two sides “should enhance mutual trust through dialogues and expand cooperation”, Wang said, and should aim for consensus in areas such as border control and demarcation negotiations.

India said Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had underlined in his talks with Wang India’s concerns with regard to the mega dam China is building on the Yarlung  Zangbo river in Tibet.

Yarlung  Zangbo becomes the Brahmaputra as it flows into India and Bangladesh, a lifeline for millions.

The dam would have implications for lower riparian states and the need for “utmost transparency” was strongly underlined, New Delhi said.

To that, China agreed to share with India emergency hydrological information on relevant rivers on humanitarian principles, China’s foreign ministry said.

Both sides agreed to engage an expert-level mechanism on cross-border rivers, and maintain communication to renew flood reporting arrangements, the ministry said.

Chinese officials had previously said hydropower projects in Tibet will not have a major impact on the environment or on downstream water supplies, but India and Bangladesh have nevertheless raised concerns.

Earlier on Tuesday, an Indian source said Wang had assured Jaishankar that Beijing was addressing three key Indian concerns — the need for fertilisers, rare earths and tunnel boring machines.

The Indian foreign and mines ministries and China’s commerce ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Iran “cannot completely cut cooperation” with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog but the return of its inspectors is up to the country’s security chiefs, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday.

The remarks come nearly two months after Iran suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) following its 12-day war with Israel in June.

Iran has cited the IAEA’s failure to condemn Israeli and American strikes on its nuclear facilities as the reason for its decision, which saw the watchdog’s inspectors leave the country following the passing of new legislation by parliament.

“We cannot completely cut cooperation with the agency,” Araghchi said, noting that new fuel rods need to be installed at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant in the coming weeks, which will require the presence of IAEA inspectors.

“Under the law passed by parliament, the return of inspectors will be possible through a decision of the Supreme National Security Council,” he told the official IRNA news agency in an interview published on Wednesday, referring to Iran’s top security body.

In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented attack targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, but also hitting residential areas.

The United States launched its own attacks on nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz.

The war derailed talks between Iran and the US on a new nuclear deal to replace the one abandoned by US President Donald Trump during his first term in 2018.

Iran has since said cooperation with the agency will take “a new form” and earlier this month, the agency’s deputy head visited Tehran for talks.

At the time, deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran and the agency had agreed to “continue consultations”.

In recent weeks, Britain, France and Germany have threatened to trigger a snapback of UN sanctions lifted under the 2015 accord if Iran fails to agree a deal on uranium enrichment and cooperation with the IAEA.

JAKARTA: Indonesia, one of the world’s nations most affected by plastic pollution, will make recycling mandatory for producers, the government has announced in a new move to tackle the crisis, following a ban on shipments of plastic waste from developed countries.

Indonesia produces around 60 million tonnes of waste annually, government data shows, around 12 percent of which is plastic. Less than 10 percent of waste is recycled in the country, while more than half ends up in landfills.

Indonesians are also the top global consumers of microplastics, according to a 2024 study by Cornell University, which estimated that they ingest about 15 grams of plastic particles per month.

“Plastic is problematic for the environment, especially the single-use ones. It creates various problems, and contains hazardous toxic materials,” Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq told reporters earlier this week. Nurofiq was speaking after a UN summit in Geneva failed to produce the world’s first legally binding treaty to tackle plastic pollution.

“We are making an intervention through the Extended Producer Responsibility, or EPR, which is still voluntary at the moment, but we are working to make it mandatory.”

The rules of EPR are in place under a 2019 Ministerial Regulation, which requires producers in Indonesia to take full responsibility for the plastic waste generated by their products.

But the mechanism also encourages producers to design environmentally friendly products and packaging, said Muharram Atha Rasyadi, urban campaigner at Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

“EPR is not only about recycling, it’s also about prioritizing reduction schemes from the very start of the production process, including redesigning the products or transitioning to reuse alternatives,” he told Arab News on Wednesday. 

“The producer responsibility scheme should be made into an obligation that needs to be regulated in the management of plastic pollution and waste. If it’s voluntary in nature as we currently have with the 2019 Ministerial Regulation, implementation will be slow and less than ideal.”

As both a major producer and consumer of plastics, Indonesia has poor waste-management practices that has contributed to its plastic pollution problem over the years.

The country of more than 270 million people is the second-largest ocean plastic polluter, just behind China, according to a 2015 study published in the journal Science.

As the government seeks to tackle the crisis by 2029, it started to ban imports of plastic waste on Jan. 1. This comes after years of being among other Southeast Asian nations receiving this plastic scrap from developed countries including the US, UK and Australia.

Indonesia has also introduced measures to reduce single-use plastics, including Bali province’s 2019 ban on single-use plastic bags, straws, and Styrofoam, and a similar one enforced in the capital, Jakarta, in 2020.