D-8 economic cooperation given a ’strategic vision’

Istanbul, Turkey | March 03, 2007 by D-8 Secretariat

The ministerial meeting between Iran and Turkey in Ankara last week was highly marked with the introduction of a “strategic vision” to strengthen the trade ties between the two countries.

The Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, and the Turkish Foreign Trade Minister Kürşad Tüzmen, agreed to boost bilateral trade volume from $6.7 billion last year to $10 billion, as well as another additional $10-billion-plan proposed by Mottaki.

The “strategic vision” focuses on the energy sector. The plan envisages Iranian natural gas delivery to Turkey and its future transfer to Europe via Turkey. This effort to bolster ties between the two countries should serve as a model for wider economic cooperation among other member states of the D-8 group, said Dr. Dipo Alam, the secretary general of the D-8 in İstanbul. “Comprehensive discussions to strengthen strategic economic cooperation and trade relations among the D-8 member states have to be proliferated to vitalize their significance.” The D-8 member countries are Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey, with the total population about 900 million (2005), almost 14 percent of the world population.

Dr. Alam believes that trade between the D-8 member countries will significantly increase in the future. This is something that the secretary general of D-8, who seeks to formulate deeper discussions for trade and strategic issues at the ministerial level, will address in an upcoming visit to Turkish and Egyptian foreign ministers.

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