The Taliban commerce minister, Nooruddin Azizi, has traveled to Turkey with a delegation to participate in a meeting of ministers from the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the Taliban‑run Ministry of Industry and Commerce said in a statement Tuesday.
The ministry said Azizi was attending the Turkey‑invited gathering in Istanbul, which also includes the opening ceremony of the Halal 2025 exhibition.
He is scheduled to meet with Turkish private‑sector representatives to discuss investment and commerce opportunities.
ECO is a regional economic body comprising countries such as Afghanistan, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. It was founded to enhance economic, trade, cultural and technical cooperation across the region.
While this meeting is the first of its kind in roughly 20 years at the ministerial level, key agenda items include reviewing intra‑ECO trade agreements and lowering tariffs among member states to boost regional commerce.
The trip follows Azizi’s recent five‑day visit to India, which came amidst trade tensions with Pakistan.
