The D-8 is an arrangement for development cooperation among Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey. Kuala Lumpur on Monday hosted a Council of Foreign Ministers meeting of the organization.
“The importance of the meeting has been the fact that we reviewed how we can strengthen the D-8 in the international economic-political field,” Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, who represented Turkey at the meeting, told reporters after the meeting ended.
In response to a question, Davutoğlu said political issues were not on the agenda of the meeting. The establishment of the D-8, an organization aimed at fostering economic cooperation among its Muslim developing country members, was announced officially by the summit of heads of state and government in İstanbul in June 1997 with a declaration called the İstanbul Declaration. Then-Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan along with the leaders of Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria and Pakistan inaugurated the D-8.
Energy cooperation was predominantly discussed, and in detail, during the Council meeting, Turkish diplomatic sources told Today’s Zaman, noting that the members have agreed on intensifying discussions with each other in order to become more influential in the global energy sector. All parties involved attach great importance to drawing a joint stance on this issue, the same diplomatic sources underlined, recalling that Iran has the second-largest natural gas reserves in the world, with Indonesia being the 10th and Malaysia being the 12th in regards to possessing large amounts of natural gas reserves. Not only in regards to natural gas reserves but also in relation to its large population and geographic location, the D-8 has big economic potential.
In addition to energy cooperation, agriculture, civil aviation, finance as well as agreements on preferential trade, customs and visas among members were on the agenda of the Council meeting. According to a Council decision, Turkey will lead efforts for the establishment of a seed bank for food safety. Members also agreed on launching diplomat exchange programs.
While in Kuala Lumpur, Davutoğlu also held bilateral talks with his Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Dipu Moni.
During talks with Qureshi, they discussed the details of a planned “High-Level Strategic Council,” to be established between Turkey and Pakistan, similar to the ones established between Turkey and Iraq and Syria, Davutoğlu said, adding that they have also agreed to arrange a regional meeting following the end of the election process in Afghanistan.
In regards to the meeting with Mottaki, Davutoğlu said they briefly reviewed a wide range of issues including Iran’s controversial nuclear program.
During the meeting with Moni, sources said Davutoğlu discussed the improvement of defense cooperation between the two countries. The two ministers also discussed Turkey’s plan to open an office of the Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA) -- a government agency that manages Turkish development aid -- in Bangladesh.
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