The Summit of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as the Developing-8, took place on Dec. 19 in Cairo. The summit is noted for being a venue for bilateral meetings among members to deliberate on urgent issues facing the world—and this was particularly the case this year given the situation in Southwest Asia, where Israel continues to carry out a genocide against Palestinians, and the change of government in Syria.
Founded in 1997 in Istanbul, the D-8 includes Türkiye, Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Iran, and Malaysia. Azerbaijan also joined the group on Dec. 19. The theme of this week’s summit was “Investing in Youth and Supporting SMEs: Shaping Tomorrow’s Economy.”
Important bilateral meetings included:
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. El-Sisi stressed that all parties must exercise wisdom to protect the region from dangerous confrontations that could have profound implications for peace and security in the Middle East and beyond. They also discussed Gaza, the crises in Lebanon and Syria, and enhancing bilateral relations.
