ECO and Iran's Development

Iran, one of the three founding members of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), whose headquarters is also located in Tehran, has consistently played an important role in various aspects of the Organization’s activities. Currently, Iran funds around 22% of ECO’s annual budget and Iranian nationals constitute over 20% of its staff. The present article looks at the privileged position of Iran in this regional organization and argues that it’s considerable potential capacities in various fields can contribute to Iran’s development – to be more specific, to the development of the Iranian economy. It is argued here that ECO is well-suited to provide the necessary regional dimension for the Iranian economy, especially given the current negative international atmosphere and external constraints.