Tehran, Iran – The Sultanate of Oman on Tuesday participated as a guest of honour in the fourth meeting of the Interior Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), inaugurated by Masoud Pezeshkian, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in Tehran.

The Omani delegation was led by H E Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal al Busaidi, Minister of Interior.

H E Busaidi conveyed Oman’s appreciation to Iran for the invitation and stated that the honour reflects the strong and longstanding relations between the two countries, based on mutual respect and cooperation.

He stressed the importance of strengthening collaboration among ECO interior ministries, particularly in light of current regional and international security challenges. Enhanced coordination within the organisation’s areas of work would support security, stability, and sustainable development across member states, he said.

The meeting reviewed joint security cooperation, including measures to address emerging threats. Discussions covered border protection, combating drug trafficking and cybercrime, information exchange between security agencies, and capacity-building initiatives such as joint training programmes.

Members of the Omani delegation included Maj Gen Abdullah bin Ali al Harthy, Assistant Inspector General of Police and Customs for Operations, and Ahmed bin Hashel al Maskari, Head of the GCC and Regional Neighbourhood Department at the Foreign Ministry.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, President Pezeshkian said that ECO is a vital platform for regional dialogue, experience-sharing, and cooperation across multiple sectors.

“In a rapidly changing world, regional collaboration is not optional but an essential necessity.” He highlighted one of the unfinished initiatives within the ECO framework: the establishment of the ECO Police, known as ECOPOL, which has not yet been fully realised.

“The ECO region remains one of the few regions globally without a joint police force,” he said, warning that this gap creates internal vulnerabilities and limits the region’s ability to cooperate effectively with other regional police organisations and Interpol.

The ECO meeting represents a regional platform of ten member states – Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – for coordination in internal security matters, addressing shared concerns, and exchanging expertise to support peace and stability in the region.