President Sisi announces concluding 11th summit of D-8

CAIRO – 19 December 2024: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi announced the concluding of the 11th summit of the Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) held in Cairo on Thursday.

Egypt took over the presidency of the 11th edition of the D-8, from Bangladesh, the president of the previous edition of the summit.

The summit brought together Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto, Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar, and Malaysia's Higher Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir.

Also in attendance are Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Azerbaijan’s Prime Minister Ali Asadov, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hissein Brahim Taha.

Established in 1997 in Turkey, the D-8 aims to fortify economic and social ties among its member countries, which include Turkey, Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Bangladesh.

Today, Bangladesh's Yunus handed over the presidency of the summit to Sisi. The 11th edition of the summit is being held in the New Administrative Capital under the theme: “Investing in Youth and Supporting SMEs: Shaping Tomorrow’s Economy.”

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi addressed world leaders at the 11th summit of the Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) held in Cairo, emphasizing that the gathering is taking place amid unprecedented crises in the Middle East.

“The global landscape is dominated by conflicts and wars, exacerbated by the rise of economic and trade protectionism and the prevalence of double-standards,” Sisi stated on Thursday, affirming that the persistent Israeli war in Gaza is a clear example.

Sisi warned that the Israeli war, defying the resolutions of international legitimacy, is compounded by the risk and threat of the conflict spilling over into other countries, as evidenced by Lebanon.

He also underlined developments in Syria, which is under relentless attack on its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The president warned that the potential for further escalation could ignite the region, with devastating political and economic ramifications for all.