Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Cairo today for an official visit to Egypt, where he will lead Pakistan's delegation at the 11th Summit of the Developing Eight (D-8) countries. The summit, taking place in Cairo from 18-19 December, is focused on the theme of "Investing in Youth and Supporting SMEs: Shaping Tomorrow's Economy." Upon his arrival at the airport, Prime Minister Sharif was greeted by Mohamed Shimi, the Egyptian Minister for Public Business Sector, as well as senior Egyptian officials and representatives from the Pakistani Embassy in Cairo. During the summit, Sharif is expected to highlight the critical role of investing in young people and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in building robust and inclusive economies. He will also emphasise their importance in creating jobs, fostering innovation and supporting local entrepreneurship. The Pakistani Prime Minister is also scheduled to attend a special session of the D-8 concerning the humanitarian crisis and reconstruction challenges in Gaza and Lebanon. This session will address the situation resulting from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. On the sidelines of the D-8 Summit, Sharif is expected to hold bilateral meetings with other participating leaders. The Pakistani delegation accompanying the Prime Minister includes Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, and Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting Ataullah Tarar. The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as Developing-8, was established in Istanbul in 1997. It comprises Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Türkiye. The organisation's core objective is to enhance economic cooperation among its member states, which aims to stimulate economic growth, sustain development, and elevate living standards. This is achieved by concentrating efforts on improving and boosting collaboration in several key areas including agriculture, trade, transportation, industry, energy, and tourism.
