D-8 Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting to highlight importance of unity on Israeli-Palestinian issue

By Busranur Koca

ANKARA (AA) – An extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers of the Developing Eight (D-8) Organization for Economic Cooperation that will be held in Istanbul on Saturday holds significant importance for D-8 countries to present a united front against Israel’s war in Gaza.

The meeting, one of the key international platforms led by Türkiye, is crucial for D-8 countries to take a collective stance against Israel’s ongoing attacks on the enclave since Oct. 7 last year, demonstrating that they will not remain silent against Israeli oppression.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, Iran’s acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani and Bangladeshi Social Welfare Minister Dipu Moni along with high-level officials from Egypt and Nigeria are expected to attend.

The D-8 member countries are expected to adopt a strong joint declaration regarding the developments in Gaza.

The D-8, which consists of leading Muslim countries, has a total population of 1.2 billion and a combined gross domestic product of $4.8 trillion. With these characteristics, the D-8 is seen as an organization that will add weight to the diplomatic efforts carried out by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League on Gaza, increasing the effectiveness of these efforts.

While Türkiye is mobilizing every possible opportunity in the economic, political and legal fields to declare a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, it evaluates every opportunity and tool that could put pressure on Israel.

The fact that the D-8, which was established on an economic basis, is holding an extraordinary foreign ministers’ meeting in Türkiye on a political issue like Gaza for the first time in its history is seen as a manifestation of these efforts.

On June 15, 1997, the D-8 was launched after Turkiye’s then-Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan proposed the creation of an economic group consisting of eight emerging economies from the Muslim world.

Alongside Türkiye, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria and Pakistan founded the Istanbul-based group.

“The objectives of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation are to improve member states’ position in the global economy, diversify and create new opportunities in trade relations, enhance participation in decision-making at the international level, and improve standards of living,” the organization says on its website.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan