JAKARTA, Dec 16 (Bernama-Antara): Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is scheduled to attend the D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation Summit in Cairo, Egypt, on December 17-19, 2024.
Foreign Affairs Ministry's spokesman Rolliansyah Soemirat remarked that at the summit, Indonesia will be appointed to assume the D-8 chairmanship from the current chair, Egypt, for the 2026-2027 period, reported ANTARA news agency.
Indonesia's chairmanship of the D-8 organisation will begin on January 1, 2026.
"This summit has important significance because, in addition to being a regular meeting of the D-8, there will be a handover of chairmanship from Egypt to Indonesia, which will become the chairman of the organisation for the 2026-2027 period," he stated here on Monday.
Established in 1997, the D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation comprises key countries from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey.
Soemirat highlighted the increasing importance of cooperation under the D-8 framework amid efforts by Global South countries to expand cooperation in economy and development.
"RI will utilise the presence of President (Prabowo) to emphasise the role of D-8 to contribute positively to the appeal of Global South to continue to increase cooperation," he noted.
The spokesman remarked that the role of D-8 is also increasingly important in the joint efforts to strengthen global awareness of the situation in Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip, which is still under Israeli aggression.
The D-8 Summit in Cairo, which will be held under the theme "Investing in Youth and Supporting Small Medium Enterprises, Shaping Tomorrow's Economy," reflects the organisation's focus on youth and MSMEs issues for the future economy.
"The theme also shows a shared view with the priorities conveyed by the President (Prabowo) regarding international cooperation in the economic sector," Soemirat concluded. - Bernama-Antara
