The Secretary-General of the Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8), Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, undertook a high-level official visit to Ankara from February 23 to 25, reaffirming T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s pivotal role as a founding member and host of the D-8 Secretariat.<\/p>\n
This was his first visit since assuming office on January 1, 2026, and focused on strengthening institutional coordination, advancing reform initiatives, and enhancing cooperation among member states ahead of the 12th D-8 Summit scheduled to be held in Jakarta, said a press release.<\/p>\n
The Secretary-General was accompanied by a delegation comprising Ambassador Mustafa \u00d6zcan, Director-I of the D-8 Secretariat, and Muhammad Bilal Khan, Executive Assistant.<\/p>\n
The visit commenced with a working Iftar hosted by Ambassador Aylin Sekizk\u00f6k, the D-8 Commissioner of T\u00fcrkiye, for the D-8 delegation.<\/p>\n
Discussions underscored the importance of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s pivotal role in supporting the Secretariat\u2019s transformation agenda and enhancing the D-8\u2019s overall organizational capacity.<\/p>\n
On February 24, the Secretary-General had meetings with senior leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Deputy Ministers Musa Kulaklikaya and Berris Ekinci.<\/p>\n
The comprehensive exchanges with Ambassador Ekinci focused on the D-8\u2019s present and future trajectory, strengthening the Secretariat\u2019s human and financial resource base, streamlining institutional structures and processes, expanding international outreach, and working for concrete outcomes of the Jakarta Summit.<\/p>\n
In his call on Hakan Fidan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Secretary-General Sohail Mahmood conveyed profound appreciation for T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s generous support as host country since the establishment of the D-8 Secretariat and as a vital pillar of the Organization\u2019s strategic direction.<\/p>\n
Noting T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s major initiatives like the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF) and Presidency of COP31, the Secretary-General highlighted the global salience of D-8 Member States in geo-strategic and geo-economic terms and the Organization\u2019s overall potential to play a seminal role at the regional and global levels.
\nHe also briefed the Foreign Minister on his priorities as Secretary General, the ongoing efforts to advance institutional reform process, strengthening D-8\u2019s global outreach, and ensuring impactful outcomes of the Jakarta Summit. During the meeting, T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s strong and steadfast support for the D-8 was reaffirmed by the Honourable Minister and guidance provided on ways for the D-8 to enhance its activities, visibility, and effectiveness.
\nIn his meeting with Minister of Trade H.E. Prof. Dr. \u00d6mer Bolat, the Secretary-General emphasized the imperative of expanding intra-D-8 trade and welcomed T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s role in hosting the permanent D-8 Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCI) Secretariat in Istanbul, a milestone for deeper private-sector engagement and integration. Both sides underscored the importance of the D-8 Business and Investment Forum and Halal Expo, being convened as side events of the Jakarta Summit, as further catalysts for trade and investment connectivity.
\nThe meeting with Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, focused on climate cooperation and T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s COP31 Presidency, exploring joint initiatives in climate resilience, green transformation, and sustainable urbanization across D-8 economies.
\nAt the Presidential Complex, Ambassador Mahmood was received by Cevdet Yilmaz, Vice President of the Republic of T\u00fcrkiye, where he briefed the Vice President on preparations for the 12th D-8 Summit and its expanded programme. The Secretary-General also attended an Iftar hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
\nOn 25 February, the Secretary-General continued outreach with key institutional stakeholders. At the TRT Headquarters, discussions with Director General Prof. Dr. Mehmet Zahid Sobac explored media cooperation and strategic communication partnerships. The importance of the legacy and digital media in raising global awareness about the D-8, amplifying the D-8 message and narrative, and fostering cultural and people-to-people connectivity was underscored with a view to making collective endeavors to advance these shared objectives.
\n In his meeting with Mehmet Fatih Kacir, Minister of Industry and Technology, the Secretary-General commended T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s rise as a global innovation hub and explored collaboration in advanced manufacturing, Industry 4.0, and AI-driven industrial transformation. The Secretary-General also engaged with the leadership of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of T\u00fcrkiye (TOBB), focusing on operationalizing the D-8 CCI Secretariat and strengthening business connectivity ahead of the Jakarta Summit. The Secretary General also attended the Iftar hosted by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan for the Ambassadors\/Head of Mission of the Member and Observer Countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Ankara.
\nConcluding the visit, Secretary General Sohail Mahmood expressed his sincere appreciation for the gracious hospitality extended by the Government of T\u00fcrkiye and the comprehensive programme charted for the visit. He stated that the exchanges during the visit reinforced alignment on a range of issues pertaining to institutional capacity and helped strengthen the momentum toward a more dynamic, results-oriented, and globally engaged D-8.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Secretary-General of the Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8), Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, undertook a high-level official visit to Ankara from February 23 to 25, reaffirming T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s pivotal role as a founding member and host of the D-8 Secretariat. This was his first visit since assuming office on January 1, 2026, and focused on strengthening […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":533992,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-533980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-top-news"],"yoast_head":"\n