ISLAMABAD: The 35th session of the D-8 Commission has begun in Islamabad to review proposals for implementing D-8 agreements.
This meeting is the last of the series of D-8 Summit, Council and Commission meetings organized and hosted by Pakistan.
The D-8 Commissioners from member countries (Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey) will take stock of progress made in various priority areas and cooperation including proposals to implement D-8 agreements i.e. Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and Visa Agreement for facilitation of businessmen.
The two-day meeting will also consider recommendations made by the D-8 Eminent Persons Group for making the organization more effective and productive in its second life cycle that will ensue with the 9th Summit in Ankara in December this year.
The meeting has also on its agenda issues including observer status for the D-8 at the United Nations General Assembly and its interaction with other international and regional organizations. The decisions and proposals of the Commissioners will be adopted by the D-8 Council of Ministers in Ankara in December 2014.
The D-8 was established in 1997 and is a multilateral grouping of eight emerging economies of the Muslim world that represent different regions. The organization works towards enhancing economic and trade cooperation between the member countries.
The organization reflects combined population of over one billion and a market of about one trillion dollars. The member countries envisage increasing intra D-8 trade to over $500 billion in next four years.
