TEHRAN - In an exclusive interview with the TEHRAN TIMES, the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Secretary General Abdolrahim Gavahi said on Tuesday that the region is going through changes, such as the emergence of a democratic Afghanistan.

He also pointed to other changes, such as increased cooperation with countries outside the region and with Russia.

Hence, ECO can not be static but should be a dynamic organization, he said.

"We hope that ECO, like any other living thing that adapts to its environmental, can also adapt itself to the regional and international changes," he added.

On the sidelines of the third session of the Working Group of Senior Officials (WGSO) of ECO, Gavahi said, "It is expected that in this meeting, the recommendations which have been raised in the previous session be investigated and new recommendations for improving the implementation of the organization's plans be raised." He said that the objective of the two-day WGSO meeting is to find ways to optimize ECO plans and assess the current status of the organization and its projects.

The creation of a regional free trade zone and cutting tariffs in half within a reasonable period was also discussed during yesterday's session.

Asked about ECO plans for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, he expressed his satisfaction with the establishment of stability in Afghanistan, which has brought it back into the ECO family, and said that recent developments in Afghanistan have prepared the way for ECO member states to help the Afghan people rebuild.

ECO plans to establish a fund for this purpose. But due to lack of funds it plans to closely cooperate with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the United Nations on the project.

Asked whether ECO would be able to compete with the European Union (EU) in the future, Gavahi said, "European countries have practiced regional cooperation since the Renaissance and the EU is an older organization than ECO. Some members of ECO only gained their independence in the last decade. The region also has not reached the political maturity needed for close cooperation between member states. EU countries on many occasions put aside their political disagreements for further economic cooperation. Despite these facts, I think the outlook is good and the organization can reach that point." Gavahi said that ECO, with its strategic geopolitical location, rich natural and human resources, and access to international financing, has the potential to play a very important role in the global economy.