Istanbul (TDI): On the sidelines of the 10th TRT World Forum in Istanbul, the Secretary General of the Developing-8 (D-8) Organization for Economic Cooperation met Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister. They discussed boosting trade among the bloc’s members and tapping Malaysia’s economic experience.
Secretary-General, Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, attended the forum on 6-7 November at the invitation of Türkiye’s public broadcaster TRT World.
This year’s theme was “A World Without a Center: Who Leads When the Rules Run Out?” The forum marked ten years of dialogue and was inaugurated by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
It drew political leaders, diplomats, academics, media figures and experts. Sessions covered the changing international order, conflicts in the Middle East and Europe, energy and economic pressures, connectivity and emerging technologies.
According to TRT World, they also covered AI governance, middle powers in a multipolar order and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Ambassador Mahmood met Deputy Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who also serves as Malaysia’s Minister of Rural and Regional Development.
Mahmood praised Malaysia as a founding member of the D-8 and urged the bloc to draw on its economic strengths and best practices. The two dignitaries discussed intra-D-8 trade and investment, financial connectivity, non-tariff barriers and private-sector engagement.
They also explored cooperation on technical and vocational education and training, food security, small and medium enterprises and rural development. The emphasis was on entrepreneurship, skills and inclusive growth.
DPM Zahid proposed deeper cooperation in the halal economy and trade, and also suggested working through the International Zakat Organization to promote poverty alleviation and socio-economic empowerment.
Ambassador Mahmood urged faster implementation of the D-8 Preferential Trade Agreement, and also called for turning the D-8 Decennial Roadmap 2020-2030 into results, notably the target of raising intra-D-8 trade to $500 billion by 2030.
He highlighted the potential for closer links between the D-8 and ASEAN, given Malaysia’s strategic position. The meeting follows the D-8’s recent push to learn from Malaysia’s industrial rise. In August, the organization held a webinar with Malaysia’s trade and industry ministry on the country’s industrial experience.
Ambassador Mahmood said then that the bloc must move “beyond policy discussions toward concrete partnerships, projects and measurable results.” The D-8’s nine members have a combined GDP of more than $5 trillion.
Looking ahead, the Secretary General of the D-8 stressed sustained high-level engagement by member states, and mentioned the upcoming 12th D-8 Summit in Indonesia and the organization’s 30th anniversary in 2027 as chances to raise its international profile.
During the forum he also briefly met other dignitaries, including Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır, and Prince Turki Al-Faisal Al Saud. Nigeria’s Information Minister Mohammed Idris Malagi and South Africa’s former foreign minister Grace Naledi Pandor were also among them.
