ISTANBUL - Tajik President Imamali Rahmanov said on Monday that there has to be cooperation among Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member countries to integrate their transportation, energy and electric networks.
Addressing the ECO summit, Rahmanov said that the foreign trade of Tajikistan with ECO member countries is equal to 52 percent of its total trade, adding that the figures in 2001 increased by 162 percent when compared to the figures in the year 2000. Referring to the fight with drug trafficking, Rahmanov said that Tajikistan is at the forefront in fight with drugs and that Tajikistan is ranked the fourth in the world and the first in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in confiscation of drugs.
Rahmanov said that cooperation has to be intensified in this issue, proposing the next ECO summit meeting to be held in Dushanbe.
Uzbek Parliament Speaker Erkin Halilov said in his part that the meeting will speed up cooperation in transportation, energy, trade, investment, agriculture, environment and many other issues.
''We support the draft of Istanbul Declaration and we believe that its content will improve the economic prosperity of our nations and countries,'' he said.