PN Report
Istanbul : Secretary-General of the Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8), Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, held a high-level bilateral meeting with Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on the sidelines of the 10th TRT World Forum, held in Istanbul on 6-7 November 2026.
The Secretary-General attended the forum at the invitation of TRT World. Held under the theme “A World Without a Center: Who Leads When the Rules Run Out?”, it was inaugurated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and brought together political leaders, policymakers, diplomats, academics, media representatives and experts. Sessions covered the evolving international system, conflicts in the Middle East and Europe, regional security, connectivity, global economic headwinds, the energy crisis and emerging technologies.
Sohail Mahmood commended Malaysia’s active role as a founding member of the D-8 and its continued support for the organization. He stressed the importance of drawing on Malaysia’s economic strengths, experience and best practices to advance the D-8 cooperation agenda.
Discussions centered on boosting intra-D-8 trade and investment, strengthening financial connectivity, addressing non-tariff barriers and promoting private-sector engagement. Both sides also explored practical cooperation in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), food security, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and rural development, with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, skills development and inclusive growth.
Dr. Zahid Hamidi proposed deeper cooperation in the halal economy and trade, and suggested exploring collaboration through the International Zakat Organisation (IZO) to support poverty alleviation and socio-economic empowerment.
The Secretary-General highlighted the need to speed up implementation of the D-8 Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and to turn the priorities of the D-8 Decennial Roadmap 2020-2030 into results, particularly the target of raising intra-D-8 trade to US$500 billion by 2030. He also pointed to the potential for closer economic links between the D-8 and ASEAN, building on Malaysia’s strategic position.
Ambassador Mahmood underscored the importance of sustained high-level engagement by member states, the upcoming 12th D-8 Summit in Indonesia, and the organization’s 30th anniversary in 2027.
During the forum, he also briefly interacted with several dignitaries, including Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan; Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır; Prince Turki Al-Faisal Al Saud, Chairman of the Board of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies; Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris Malagi; and former South African Foreign Minister Dr. Grace Naledi Pandor, Chair of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
