Secretary-general vows to further activate D8

Secretary-General of the Developing-8 Group Seyed Ali Mohammad Moussavi emphasized the necessity for further activity by the D8, and said he is trying to adopt new plans to increase trade and cultural cooperation among members. Mousavi said that Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) among D-8 countries will be implemented very soon, and added that November 1‚ 2013 has been set as the cutoff date for its implementation. Mousavi said that all the member countries are working to finalize the offer list. He expressed the hope that D-8 will activate first ever Energy Forum in Pakistan in the near future. He said the Commissions meeting will prove a turning point in this regard. Moussavi said that D-8 organization is very active in tapping five areas on priority basis including trade and industry‚ agriculture‚ energy‚ transportation and culture. The secretary general said the D-8 is also looking to enhance cooperation in exchange of cultural activities. He expressed the hope that very soon D-8 will hold a conference for the promotion of culture and art. The Developing-8 is a group of developing countries with large Muslim populations that have formed an economic development alliance. It consists of Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey. The D8 was founded by Necmettin Erbakan, former Turkish Prime Minister. The group was established after an announcement in Istanbul, Turkey on June 15, 1997. Membership is open to countries other than the current member-states, though no expansion is currently planned. The D8 summit is held annually with the aim of exchanging views among the member states.