Preparatory meetings for the Developing Eight Organisation for Economic Cooperation (D-8) Summit began in Cairo on December 16th, with member states gathering at the commissioner level to discuss key agenda items. The meetings, chaired by Egypt, are a precursor to the D-8 Summit scheduled for December 19th. Ambassador Ragui El-Etreby, Egypt's commissioner to the D-8 and Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral International and Regional Economic Affairs, presided over the discussions. He stated that the meetings would focus on issues to be included in the Cairo summit agenda, primarily exploring avenues for enhanced economic cooperation among member nations across various sectors. The D-8 is an economic cooperation organisation established in 1997. Its member countries are Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkiye. Ambassador El-Etreby highlighted the importance Egypt places on the D-8 and its chairmanship through the end of next year. He emphasised the potential for strengthening economic ties, particularly in industry, agriculture, and services, which he said would contribute to Egypt's comprehensive development goals. These efforts include attracting investment and increasing trade in goods and services. El-Etreby also noted the D-8's substantial market, encompassing more than one billion people and a combined GDP of approximately $5 trillion. According to the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, all member states expressed full support during the meetings for Egypt's proposed initiatives. These initiatives seek to boost economic cooperation among D-8 nations through collaborative efforts in industry, trade, education, health and tourism. The proposals also include support for small, medium, and micro-enterprises. Additionally, they aim to enhance research collaboration by creating a network of economic research centres among the D-8 member countries. Ambassador El-Etreby is scheduled to present the outcomes of the commissioners' discussions to the D-8 foreign ministers during their meeting on December 18th. This will then pave the way for the presentation of these results to the D-8 heads of state for their deliberation and endorsement during the Cairo summit.
