Prof. Seyed Komail Tayebi, President ECOSF called upon the new Ambassador of Kyrgyz Republic to Pakistan H.E. Mr. Avazbek Atakhanov on January 20, 2025 at the Kyrgyz Embassy in Islamabad. The President was accompanied by the Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Memon Executive Director and Mr. Ghulam Abbas Rahar, Manager (Administration). The Ambassador cordially welcomed the delegation at the Embassy.

During the visit, a meeting was held to discuss the matters pertaining to ECOSF, Kyrgyzstan and ECO region. In the meeting, President ECOSF said that ECOSF is a specialized agency of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and intergovernmental organization of ten countries of Asia, Eurasia and Central Asia i.e., Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, he added. Prof. Tayebi told the Ambassador that the Charter of ECOSF was signed by all ten member countries including Kyrgyz Republic in March 1995 but five members viz., Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan have ratified and other members including Kyrgyzstan would ratify the Charter and its Additional Protocol of the Foundation. Taking the opportunity, President ECOSF requested the Ambassador to help and support for ratification of ECOSF Charter and its Additional Protocol by the Government of Kyrgyzstan. The ratification of the Charter will enable Kyrgyzstan to nominate its President for ECOSF and many other benefits can also be availed.

Prof. Tayebi said that since its establishment in December 2011, the Foundation has been working to promote and support Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovation (SETI) based activities in the Member Countries. So far, a huge number of seminars, workshops, trainings, meetings, expos, etc. have been organized wherein, the scientists, researchers, teachers, students, policy makers and many others from ECO region including Kyrgyzstan have been trained/exposed on SETI, which is the integral part of any country for the sustainable development. He emphasized that ECO countries should invest more in SETI to achieve the sustainable development swiftly to compete with the world. Making strong scientific base, it is required to train the youth of ECO region, thus, realizing the importance of the youth, ECOSF is imparting training to the science teachers of ECO region to teach the STEM through Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE) methodology of France. Prof. Tayebi shared with the Ambassador that ECOSF has planned to organize “ECONEX Conference on Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI)” from 15-16 April 2025 in Islamabad in which the Ministers responsible for Science and Technology from ECO Countries will be invited to attend. Thus, he requested the support of the Ambassador for participation of the Kyrgyz Minister.

Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Memon highlighted that despite financial challenges, ECOSF has consistently supported member countries, including Kyrgyzstan, by encouraging their participation in scientific events. He noted that with increased financial contributions from member states, the Foundation could undertake even more initiatives for regional benefit.

Ambassador Atakhanov acknowledged the valuable role of ECOSF and expressed his appreciation for its initiatives. He assured his support for advancing the ratification of the ECOSF Charter and its Additional Protocol. The Ambassador also expressed strong interest in the upcoming ECONEX conference and pledged his assistance to ensure Kyrgyzstan’s participation. Furthermore, he encouraged ECOSF to establish more frequent communication with the Kyrgyz Ministry of Education and Science to foster collaboration on ongoing and future programs.

The Ambassador graciously accepted an invitation from Prof. Tayebi to visit the ECOSF Secretariat, underscoring his commitment to enhancing cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and ECOSF.

The Meeting was ended with vote of Thanks.