Middle East Information Resource
Political Entities - Economic Cooperation Organization
The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) was established in the 1980`s with the participation of Iran, Turkey and Pakistan under the auspices of the Organization for Regional Cooperation and Development (successor to CENTO, q.v.). The willingness of the Islamic regime in Iran to revive this institution appeared to contradict its revolutionary postures; Turkey and Pakistan had been allies of the Shah of Irann in the CENTO military alliance, and continued to maintain close cooperation with the US.
However, at the peak of the war with Iraq, Iran was in need of commercial and economic relations with its two other neighbors. Even though the ECO failed to implement any significant regional projects, in 1992 it was joined by Afghanistan and six Muslim republics from the former Soviet Union: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Krghyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The Economic Cooperation Organization has membership accounting for a very large geographical area, but its influence is very limited. The resources of the members are not complementary. The organization`s greatest achievement has been the completion of a section of the Iran-Turkmenistan railway. This connects the Muslim republics with the Persian Gulf, reviving the historical Silk Road. The member states have also established a shipping line, a regional bank and an insurance company, and have invested heavily in the development of a road network.