D-8 Gears Ahead on Industrial Cooperation

Tehran, Iran | March 10, 2010 by D-8 Secretariat

The first meeting of industry ministers of D-8 had been successfully concluded in Tehran on March 2, 2010. The event is aimed to utilize capacities in order to increase the influence of D8 countries in global industry.

The first meeting of industry ministers of developing eight countries (D-8) had been successfully concluded in Tehran on March 2, 2010.

The series of meetings, which was attended by industry minister, relevant high-level authorities, as well as hundreds of private sector participants from the eight member countries, marked the rise of D-8 collaboration in industrial cooperation. In total there were 11 specialized panels including car manufacturing, textiles, small industries, steel, cement, petrochemicals, energy, IT, foodstuff, transfer of technology and standards that was held during the entire session.

“The event is aimed to utilize capacities in order to increase the influence of D8 countries in global industry,” the Iranian Mines Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian said during the opening ceremony.

In his opening speech, the D-8 Secretary General, who is also the cabinet secretary of the Government of Indonesia, Dipo Alam, said that the D-8’s 4.17% rate of the export share from total world export undoubtedly shows that D-8 countries can go rapidly move toward development cooperating with each other and have the potential to expect a minimum share of 10% of the world economy.

“In 2006 trade between our member states stood at USD 35 billion, but it is currently around USD 68 billion,” said Alam. He further revealed that transactions between the D-8 countries account for 3.3 per cent of world trade, adding that the figure is projected to reach 10-15 per cent in the next few years.

Meanwhile Iran has proposed creating an atlas of D-8 capacities. In line with this proposal, Iranian industry minister Ali-Akhbar Mehrabian urged the organisation to create a workgroup to identify and prepare the atlas to show the capabilities and needs of D-8 members.

He also recommended establishing common brands among the members, building a joint car for use in all Islamic countries, introducing the countries’ private sectors to one another and making working towards easing monetary and banking relations between the states.

Dipo Alam said that Iran has vowed to allocate 15 million euros to create an investment fund for the organisation. Alam said in Tehran on Sunday that Iran is the first country to make such a commitment.

After the meeting, the Turkish Industry & Trade Minister Nihat Ergun and Iranian Minister of Industries & Mining Ali Akbar Mehrabian vowed to boost their industrial cooperation by signing the memorandum of understanding that aimed to increase industrial and commercial relations between the two countries.

“With this memorandum, we will have a better and more cooperation between small and medium scale enterprises and standards agencies; and we will also cooperate in transfer of technology,” Ergun said during the signature ceremony. Ergun said Turkey and Iran also agreed to establish a joint free industrial zone at the border.

Turkish and Iranian governments were determined to strengthen and diversify their relations, Ergun said.

Also speaking during the ceremony, Mehrabian said he believed that Turkish and Iranian businessmen would invest in the region, and the competitive power of Turkey and Iran would increase thanks to their potential. The trade volume between Turkey and Iran was over 10 billion USD in 2009.

Alongside with the meeting, Dipo Alam was also welcomed by the Iranian Foreign Minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, and the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who called on D-8 to strive to bring the level of the group up to other global groups.

The President expressed his gratitude for the efforts made during the term of Alam, describing them as fruitful and constructive. “I hope the D8 makes rapid progress and achieves higher levels more than ever.”

Ahmadinejad also underscored that Iran is determined to boost its bilateral and multilateral ties and cooperation with other member states.

“Iran and Indonesia are two important counties at the two ends of Asia, whose cooperation is not only in the best interest of the two nations, but it will be in favor of the D8, Asia and the whole humanity,” Ahmadinejad said.

Dipo Alam, for his part, regarded Iran’s role in the D8 as crucial and said, ‘Iran is an important member state of the group I hope to see the progress of the D8 through more cooperation among its members.”

During the meeting Alam submitted Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s message to his Iranian counterpart. He expressed his country’s readiness for enhancing economic ties between the two countries as well as increasing joint ventures.

Participants of the D-8 Industry Ministers’ Meeting released a Tehran Declaration at the end of their meeting.

The declaration expresses the determination of the member countries to achieve common goals, and to take necessary steps to increase industrial and market opportunities and financial resources and boost technological cooperation.

The second D-8 Ministerial Meeting on Industry will take place in Turkey in 2011.

Read Also

• D-8 to Foster a Deeper Strategic Cooperation among Members
• Tehran to Host D-8 Ministerial Summit Next Week
• D-8 Minister Meeting on Industry Successfully Concluded in Istanbul
• Turkish Prime Minister to address Pakistani Parliament: Intensifying Cooperation between D-8 Member States
• D-8 Looks For Tangible Benefits Through Economic Cooperation
• Iran’s Incentives Draw Turkish Investors: Increasing Cooperation within D-8
• D-8 Agreed to Increase Cooperation Sectors of the Industry
• D-8 to Cooperate with United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) on Several Issues
• D-8 to Strengthen Cooperation in SMEs Sector
• D-8 Secretary General Visited Top Turkish Fertilizer Producer GUBRETAS, Aiming at Food Security Cooperation within D8