Pakistan will host the 30th meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization's Council of Ministers in Islamabad on 15 and 16 November, with foreign ministers and senior officials from member states expected to attend. The two-day meeting, held under the theme "Revitalising Regional Cooperation for a Strong and Stable ECO", comes as Pakistan takes over as chair of the Council of Ministers for 2026-27. ECO Secretary General Dr Asad Majeed Khan has already arrived in Pakistan ahead of the talks, Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan told reporters. ### Preparations under way Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar chaired a meeting on 6 November to finalise preparations for the gathering and expressed satisfaction with the arrangements. He told officials to stay in close coordination to ensure the meeting runs smoothly. ### Regional tensions in focus Regional security challenges and geopolitical tensions are expected to feature prominently, alongside trade, transport, energy and connectivity. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to attend and to hold bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Mr Dar, according to reports in the Express Tribune. The ECO was founded in 1985 by Pakistan, Iran and Turkiye, and now has 10 member states, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and five Central Asian republics. It remains unclear whether Afghanistan will be represented at the Islamabad meeting. An ECO interior ministers' meeting planned for Islamabad in late October was postponed amid the regional situation, according to [The Diplomatic Insight](https://thediplomaticinsight.com/islamabad-host-eco-meeting-amid-security-geopolitical-tensions/).