AZERBAIJAN HOSTS ECO SUMMIT

The ninth summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) -- which comprises Iran, Turkey,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan -- took place in Baku on May 5. In his opening speech, Azerbaijani President Aliyev stressed that international terrorism and unresolved conflicts constitute an obstacle to expanding cooperation between regional states, day.az reported. He also said that the imminent  commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan export pipeline for Caspian oil and of the South Caucasus gas-export pipeline will strengthen security and stability in the region. Aliyev met on May 4 with Iranian President Mahmud Ahmedinejad to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation in the energy sphere, zerkalo.az reported on May 5. A press release stressed the "shared historic roots" of the Iranian and Azerbaijani peoples and the "friendly ties" between them. Aliyev also met on May 4 with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who expressed interest in Azerbaijan's Caspian energy projects.