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Trade Minister Omer Bolat announced that Türkiye and member states took “important and concrete steps” toward strengthening and expanding the D-8 Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) during his visit to Egypt.
Bolat shared details of the meetings in Cairo, where he attended the 4th Meeting of the D-8 Council of Trade Ministers.
Bolat said discussions focused on ensuring the effective implementation of the PTA, broadening its scope, and initiating negotiations.
He confirmed that Türkiye expressed readiness to host the first negotiation meeting on expanding the agreement.
The minister noted that the D-8, founded on June 15, 1997, in Istanbul upon the proposal of former Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, now represents 1.245 billion people, about 15% of the world’s population.
The group has a combined GDP of $5.1 trillion, a per capita income of $4,115, exports totaling $1.1 trillion, imports of $1.2 trillion, and an intra-group trade rate of 7%.
He highlighted that Azerbaijan joined the organization last year at the D-8 Leaders Summit attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Bolat stated that Türkiye remains committed to contributing to “a fairer, more inclusive, and more effective trade system” within the D-8.
He emphasized the organization’s role as an economic center of gravity in the Islamic world, noting that the D-8 accounts for 63% of the Islamic world’s exports, excluding energy.
He added that with Azerbaijan’s participation, the group has gained “a stronger identity,” and Türkiye aims to advance commercial cooperation with all D-8 member states.
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