Prime Minister Gilani arrives to attend D-8 Summit

KUALA LUMPUR : Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani arrived here Monday to attend the 6th D-8 Summit being held in the Malaysian capital, and is expected to endorse a 10-year roadmap on trade cooperation. Prime Minister Gilani, who is heading a delegation comprising Advisor to Prime Minister on Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, members of the coalition parties, opposition, minorities and women, was accorded a warm welcome on arrival.
He was received at the airport by Deputy Foreign Minister.
On the sidelines of the Summit the Prime Minister would also hold meetings with various heads of governments including the Prime Minister of Malaysia and the Chief Executive of Bangladesh.
The D-8 compromises Pakistan, Iran, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Turkey.
It was set up in 1997 as an economic alliance with the objective of improving the position of Muslim developing countries in the global world economy through the diversification of their economies by creating new opportunities via increased trade relations.
The theme of 6th Summit is “Meeting Challenges Through Innovative Cooperation.” This is the first time that Malaysia is hosting the D-8 Summit.
The last summit was hosted by Indonesia, the current chairman of D-8, in Bali, Indonesia.
The D-8 presidency would be handed over to Malaysia by the group’s current chairman President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Malaysia would be D-8’s president for two years.