The third summit of the Group of Eight Islamic Developing Countries (D-8) will be held in Cairo on February 25, 2001, reported the Middle East News Agency. According to Magda Shahin, Egypt’s assistant foreign minister, invitations to the gathering had already been sent to member states, which include Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia and Nigeria.
Shahin added that the foreign ministers of the eight countries are to meet on February 22-24 to prepare for the summit. For the first time, a forum for businessmen from the eight member countries will be held alongside the summit.
The D-8 group was created in 1996 at the initiative of Necmettin Erbakan, who then served as Turkey’s prime minister. The stated mission of the new organization was to enhance cooperation among the member countries in the fields of development, finance, tourism, energy, trade and the protection of the environment. The group’s headquarters are in Istanbul.
A D-8 summit is held every two years. The first took place in 1996 in Istanbul, Turkey, and the second was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The second summit dealt mainly with customs procedures and documentation to facilitate movements of goods among the D-8 members. ¯ (Albawaba-MEBG)
