Iran's top diplomat visits Pakistan for D-8 meeting
By Sara Rajabova
Iran's state delegation is on a visit to Pakistan to attend a ministerial meeting of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif heads the Iranian delegation, Press TV reported.
Zarif arrived in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on December 18 to participate in and deliver a speech at the 16th Session of the D-8 Council of Ministers scheduled for December 19.
During his day-long visit, the top Iranian diplomat will also hold talks with Pakistani officials as well as a number of the foreign ministers of D-8 member states.
Ali Mohammad Mousavi from Iran is the current secretary general of the organization.
In a meeting with Mousavi on October 8, Zarif said the group plays a leading role in the expansion of South-South cooperation, expressing Tehran's full readiness to boost ties with the body.
D-8 is a multilateral grouping of eight emerging economies of the Muslim world that represent different regions.
The D-8, also known as Developing-8, was officially established on June 15, 1997, to promote cooperation on development. The organization comprises of eight Islamic countries, namely Iran, Nigeria, Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Bangladesh.
The organization reflects combined population of one billion and a market of about one trillion dollars. The member countries envisage increasing intra D-8 trade to over US $500 billion by 2018.
The D-8 objectives are to upgrade the member states' status in the global economy, diversify and create new opportunities in trade relations, enhance participation in decision-making at the international level and improve standards of living in the member countries.
The D-8 Council of Ministers is the political decision-making body of D-8, and acts as a forum for a thorough and comprehensive consideration of the issues at hand.