Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is currently addressing the 11th Summit of the Developing Eight (D-8) countries being held in Cairo.
Founded in 1997 in Istanbul, the D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation, also known as Developing-8, is an organisation for development cooperation among Egypt, Nigeria, Turkiye, Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Iran, and Malaysia.
Its objective is to increase economic cooperation among member states to boost economic growth, sustain development and promote and improve standards of living by focusing on bringing improvement and enhancing cooperation in agriculture, trade, transportation, industry, energy, and tourism.
At the outset of his speech, he thanked Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for a “very warm and generous welcome” given to him and his delegation.
The premier termed the D-8 a “very important platform for cooperation” between its members, stressing that the summit was taking place at a “very critical juncture”.
“Ceasefire in Gaza is so important that without that, peace, prosperity and progress not only in the region but globally, will not be possible,” the prime minister asserted.
Addressing the leaders present at the summit, he said: “It is equally important, if not more, to discuss the situation in Gaza, the ceasefire in Lebanon and the potential threat of Israel’s carnage in this area and the world over.”
He appreciated Sisi for allocating a separate session for the “burning issue” of crises in the Middle East.
Noting that the theme of today’s summit pertained to investing in youth, PM Shehbaz emphasised it “served as a blueprint for collective prosperity in the 21st century”. He termed the youth and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) the “key drivers of economic development in any society”.
“Youth brings energy, fresh ideas, and creativity where as SMEs create jobs, foster innovation and promote entrepreneurship, By investing in both, we can build inclusive and robust economies that are ready for the global challenges of today and tomorrow.”
The premier stated, “For Pakistan, investing in youth and supporting SMEs is crucial for our socioeconomic development and progress. With over 60 per cent of our population under the age of 30, we possess a fountain of potential for innovation and growth.
“However, unlocking this potential requires providing the right skills, opportunities and financial resources,” he said, highlighting the government PM’s Youth Programme which has distributed “over 600,000 laptops to high achievers”.
The prime minister also took the opportunity to boast about the government’s efforts to empower the IT sector, noting that Pakistan was home to “one of the largest freelance communities in the world”.
“We are focusing on IT trainings at a mass scale to equip our youth with the necessary tools to connect with the digital world and capitalise on the opportunities, with the aim to enable job-seekers to become job-creators,” the premier said.
Referring to the PM’s Youth Business and Agricultural Loan Scheme, PM Shehbaz said the government had disbursed “billions in loans enabling young Pakistanis to start and scale their own businesses”.
“Today’s summit offers the D8 countries a valuable opportunity to share best practices, pool resources and create programmes that support youth and small [and] medium enterprises across borders,” he said.
“Connectivity is a force multiplier and is rightly hailed as a vehicle for peace and prosperity as emphasised in the Dhaka declaration earlier in 2021,” the premier highlighted.
“We need to explore the possibilities of developing and enhancing transport connectivity among D8 member states for building efficient intra-trade corridors and reliable supply chains,” he said, highlighting that the “Pakistan-Iran-Turkiye Corridor” was an excellent project.
Earlier today, PM Shehbaz arrived at the Royal Palace of Egypt in Cairo to attend the summit, where he was received by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and recorded his impressions in the visitors’ book, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.
On the sidelines of the summit, PM Shehbaz met with Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus, chief advisor of the interim government of Bangladesh’s interim government, as well as Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
He is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with the presidents of Iran, Turkiye and Egypt.
The theme of this year’s summit, held from December 18 to 19, is “Investing in Youth and Supporting SMEs: Shaping Tomorrow’s Economy”.
At the summit, PM Shehbaz will also attend a special session of D-8 on ‘Humanitarian Crisis and Reconstruction Challenges in Gaza and Lebanon’ to deliberate on the situation resulting from Israeli aggression in the Middle East.
In an earlier summit in June, the alliance demanded full Palestinian membership of the United Nations and greater international pressure on Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza.
PM Shehbaz termed his meeting with Bangladesh’s Yunus a “very warm and cordial exchange”, with Radio Pakistan reporting various positive steps taken to facilitate trade and travel between the two countries.
“We discussed strengthening historical and cultural ties, increasing trade, and exploring cooperation in IT, chemicals, leather, surgical goods and other sectors,” the premier said in a post on X.
The two also “agreed to enhance people-to-people exchanges and align efforts for mutual development”. “We reaffirmed our commitment to deepen bilateral and multilateral collaboration for the shared prosperity of our peoples,” the prime minister added.
According to Radio Pakistan, the two leaders acknowledged the importance of people-to-people contacts and cultural exchanges, including of artists, sportspersons, academics, and students.
It added that they “noted with satisfaction” the recent visit by the Bangladesh Cricket Team to Pakistan as well as the concert of music band Jal in Dhaka.
PM Shehbaz expressed his gratitude to Bangladesh for the recent steps taken for the facilitation of trade and travel between the two South Asian nations, the report said, adding that it included waiving off the condition of 100 per cent physical inspection of consignments from Pakistan and abolishment of a special security desk at the Dhaka airport established earlier to scrutinise Pakistani passengers.
The prime minister also thanked Bangladesh for doing away with an additional clearance requirement for Pakistani visa applicants.
