Leaders of the 10-nation Economic Cooperation Organization gathered on 4 July in Khankendi, the largest city retaken by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, for the bloc’s 17th heads-of-state summit hosted by President Ilham Aliyev. The meeting, held under the slogan “A New ECO Vision for a Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Future,” is the first major international event staged in the city since Azerbaijani forces regained control in 2023. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan used the forum to intensify regional diplomacy, holding separate talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. According to Ankara, Erdoğan pressed for deeper trade and energy links, urged stronger coordination against terrorism and said Turkey is ready to help turn the current Iran-Israel cease-fire into a lasting settlement. He and Sharif also discussed ways to widen cooperation in defence, connectivity and investment, while both leaders reiterated calls for an immediate halt to Israeli attacks on Gaza. In his opening address, Aliyev said Azerbaijan now supplies natural gas to 12 countries, underscoring the Caspian state’s growing role in regional energy security. Pezeshkian, Sharif and other attendees echoed appeals for greater economic integration and climate-smart development across the ECO area, which stretches from Turkey to Central and South Asia. The one-day summit brought together the presidents of Türkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, along with Pakistan’s prime minister and representatives from other member and observer states. A joint communiqué is expected to outline measures to boost intra-ECO trade, expand transport corridors and coordinate climate action ahead of the group’s next ministerial meeting.