Pakistan has been elected chair of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) Council of Ministers (COM) for the 2026-27 term, the Foreign Office said on Friday.

The decision came during the 29th COM meeting, virtually attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar.

“The Foreign Ministers of ECO member states congratulated Pakistan on assuming the chairmanship. DPM Dar thanked them for their felicitations and support, and said he looked forward to working with them and welcoming all ECO members to Pakistan for the next COM meeting in 2026,” the FO said in a post on X.

Addressing the session, Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to ECO Vision 2025 and stressed the bloc’s role in driving regional prosperity, economic integration and connectivity.

He said Pakistan remained focused on strengthening multimodal transport corridors, sustainable development and climate-resilient cooperation.

Dar noted that the theme of this year’s meeting, “Advancing Regional Transport Connectivity and Sustainable Development”, aligned closely with ECO’s long-term goals.

He said lasting regional connectivity required an environment of peace and security.

The deputy prime minister urged member states to collectively confront terrorism, calling it a major obstacle to economic cooperation.

Without overcoming this shared threat, he said, seamless regional links would remain difficult to achieve.

Dar also congratulated Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev for successfully hosting the meeting.

He added that Pakistan looked forward to welcoming all ECO member states at the 30th COM session next year.