D-8 going strong since 26 years

By Mehmet Sah Yilmaz

ANKARA (AA) - The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation has been going strong for 26 years since its establishment in 1997.

With a population of 1.2 billion, it has a 14% share in global trade.

The D-8 organization was launched on June 15, 1997, after Türkiye's then-Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, proposed the creation of an economic group consisting of eight emerging economies from the Muslim world, including Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Türkiye.

D-8 countries command a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of about $4 trillion.

D-8 aims to improve the position of member countries in the world economy, diversify their trade relations and create new opportunities, increase their participation in decision-making processes at the international level and provide a better standard of living, Abdullah Aydin, an economic expert at the Nigde Omer Halisdemir University Aydin, told Anadolu.

"Türkiye, the founding country of the D-8, has a constructive attitude towards COVID-19 and food crises, which is a touchstone at this point," he said.

"Likewise, Türkiye's peace-centered attitude towards all aspects of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, not just in food, has been accepted by the world. Even these examples are important in terms of seeing the potential of this organization created by Türkiye and its friends."