D-8 Convenes in New York

The foreign ministers of the D-8 held the unofficial gathering on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

In the meeting, chaired by the foreign minister of Bangladesh, the participants expressed their views about the activities of the organization, which comprises Iran, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey.

In comments at the session, caretaker deputy foreign minister of Iran for international affairs, Reza Najafi, highlighted the significance that Iran attaches to D-8 as a Muslim and developing country.

Pledging the new Iranian administration’s support for the D-8, Najafi stressed the need for a reform in order to make the organization more dynamic.

He also called for more active participation of the D-8 member states in various fields relating to trade, industries, communication, agriculture and food security as the overriding goals of the economic organization considering the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Najafi also expressed Iran’s readiness to share its experiences with the D-8 members in dealing with illegal and unfair sanctions.

According to the secretariat of the D-8, the foreign ministers of the organization are planned to hold a meeting on information and communication technologies in Istanbul on October 7.

Moreover, ranking officials and foreign ministry authorities from the D-8 member states will gather in Islamabad on October 20-22 for a meeting on tourism.