Secretary-General of the Developing-8 Group Seyed Ali Mohammad Moussavi emphasized the necessity for further activity by the D8, and said the block plays an important role in developing the economy of its member states.
Moussavi made the remarks in a meeting with Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin bin Yassin in the Malaysian administrative capital Putrajaya Wednesday evening.
During the meeting, Moussavi stressed the D8's role in developing the economic objectives of these countries. Yassin, for his part, expressed the hope that the meeting will strengthen cooperation between Malaysia and other D8 member states.
The Developing-8 is a group of developing countries with large Muslim populations that have formed an economic development alliance. It consists of Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey.
The D8 was founded by Necmettin Erbakan, former Turkish Prime Minister. The group was established after an announcement in Istanbul, Turkey on June 15, 1997. Membership is open to countries other than the current member-states, though no expansion is currently planned.
The D8 summit is held annually with the aim of exchanging views among the member states.