Khankendi: The 17th summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) began in Azerbaijan's Khankendi city on Friday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was welcomed by Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev at the summit venue, which is themed "New ECO Vision for a Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Future."

According to Anadolu Agency, the summit participants included Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar. Other key figures present were Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Oljas Bektenov, Afghanistan's Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdulgani Birader, Turkmenistan's Deputy Prime Minister Rasit Meredow, UAE's Industry and Advanced Technology Minister Sultan Al Jaber, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) Kubancyhbek Omuraliev, and Secretary General of the ECO Ased Majeed Khan.

The location of the summit in Khankendi holds symbolic significance for Azerbaijan, as the city was once the capital of the occupying regime in Karabakh. The ECO, established in 1985 by Trkiye, Pakistan, and Iran, serves as a platform to discuss, improve development, and promote trade and investment opportunities across its member states.