Addressing the 26th ECO Council of Ministers held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, he said at this critical juncture, pushing the Interim Afghan Government into isolation would further aggravate the suffering of the ordinary Afghans.
He said the international community needs to respond positively and urgently to the UN Secretary General's appeal for 4.2 billion dollars in humanitarian and economic assistance to Afghanistan.The Foreign Minister emphasized on collective and coordinated efforts to realize the true potential of Economic Cooperation Organization.He said Pakistan as a founding member had been and would remain in the forefront of shaping the ECO's agenda.Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Pakistan wishes to see the ECO region transform into a prosperous trading bloc that stimulated and promoted industrial growth, and reduced and eventually eliminated tariff and non-tariff barriers to promote free trade within the region.