The 17th annual meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) concluded Saturday in western Afghan city of Heart, stressing boosting economic cooperation among the member states.

"Foreign Ministers and delegates from ECO countries in their speeches emphasized enhancing cooperation among the member states in the fields of trade, economy, transport, industry and culture," said a statement issued here by Afghan Foreign Ministry.

The conference also called on the member nations to boost economic activities by extending railways among the ECO family besides investing in the fields of environment and agriculture, according to the statement.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, in his opening address at the meeting, stressed for collective efforts to overcome poverty, illiteracy and other problems in the region.

"As a bridge, Afghanistan links the central Asia with the south Asia, East Asia and Middle East," Karzai told some 100 delegates from ECO states. "Through collective cooperation we can overcome the problems of poverty, illiteracy, drug and terrorism and ECO can facilitate us to achieve this noble goal."

Saturday’s Foreign Ministers’ Conference followed two-day meetings of deputies to Foreign Ministers and experts to discuss the ways and means for strengthening relations in the fields of trade, energy, and transport among the ECO members.

The conference, with pre-meetings starting on Wednesday, was the first conference of ECO foreign ministers being held in the post-Taliban Afghanistan.

Established in 1985, the regional organization, besides its founding members including Iran, Turkey and Pakistan, has so far absorbed Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.