REPORT OF THE Xth. SESSION
OF THE COUNCIL OF FOREIGN MINISTERS OF THE DEVELOPING EIGHT
(New York, 20 September 2006)

1. The Government of Indonesia hosted the X Session of the D-8 Council of Minister of Foreign Affairs in New York on 20 September 2006. The meeting was attended by five Ministers from D-8 member countries, namely: Iran (Minister of Foreign Affairs), Turki (Minister of Foreign Affairs), Bangladesh (Minister of Foreign Affairs), Indonesia (Minister of Foreign Affairs), Pakistan (Minister of States), Egypt (Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs), and other delegations from all D-8 member countries. The list of Participants is herewith attached.
2. H.E. Dr. N. Hassan Wirajuda, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, chaired the meeting. In his welcoming remarks, the Minister stated that the meeting was held to strengthen D-8 cooperation and to reaffirm D-8 shared commitment to working closely among its member countries. It was further emphasized that such meeting would provide D-8 Council of Ministers with the opportunity to discuss ways and means to translate the commitment made during the Bali Summit into concrete action, and to formulate new initiatives for enhancing D-8 cooperation. He also welcomed the step that has been taken to strengthen the capacity of the Secretariat in Istanbul.
3. Following the statement made by the Chair, all D-8 Ministers and other Heads of Delegation made statements and presented their views on how to further enhance D-8 cooperation. Discussion and exchange of views took place among Ministers attending the meeting. There was a common agreement among Ministers on the need to accelerate efforts to follow up the agreed programmes of D-8 cooperation. The Ministers recognized that the expansion of D-8 intra trade should be the main priority of cooperation, since developing countries have been facing inequality in the global trade system. D-8 member countries should also enhance other sectors of cooperation to support its respective national development.
4. Based on the discussion and the exchange of views, the Council of Minister of Foreign Affairs identified a number of possible future cooperation for D-8, as follows:Cooperation among D-8 immigration officers in order to accelerate the entry into force of the D-8 Visa Agreement.

   Cooperation in the field of civil aviation and D-8 national carriers.

   Establishing D-8 mechanism and time frame to further facilitate D-8 intra trade, including the finalization of the Rules of Origin to effectively implement the Preferential Trade Agreement and Customs Agreement signed during the Bali Summit in May 2006.

   Exploring ways to involve private sectors more actively in the decision making process in various sectors of D-8 Cooperation and activities.

   Enhancing technical cooperation among member countries through practical capacity building programmes in all sectors of development.

5. The Ministers has mandated the D-8 Commissioners to further discuss the possibility of establishing the above mentioned cooperation during the next meeting of Commissioner that has been scheduled to take place in Indonesia in early November 2006.
6. The meeting agreed that the next meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers would be held in 2007. Indonesia as the chair country would communicate the proposed schedule and venue of the meeting to all D-8 member countries.
7. The Ministers and head of delegations expressed their appreciation to the Government of Indonesia for the warm hospitality and the excellent arrangement made for the meeting.