All arrangements have been finalized to hold an important summit of eight developing countries of the region, known as D-8, to promote trade, business and investment cooperation among these countries.
According to details, the leaders of D-8 would be visiting Pakistan on the invitation of President Asif Ali Zardari and the government had finalized arrangements for this important summit.
The event would coincide with the 15th anniversary of the founding of the D-8 and would focus on the theme of “Democratic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity”.
Zardari would inaugurate and chair the plenary session of the summit.
President of Egypt Mohamed Morsi, President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Nigeria Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, and Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan had already confirmed their participation in the summit, while Malaysia was likely to be represented by the deputy prime minister.
Pakistan would take over the chairmanship of the D-8 for the next two years which would end in 2014.
In a special ceremony to be held after the summit meeting, the leaders would witness the signing ceremony of a charter by the foreign ministers of the participating countries.
Furthermore, the leaders would also adopt Islamabad Declaration 2012 reaffirming their joint resolve to make concerted efforts to confront common challenges being faced by the D-8 member states.
The visit of D-8 leaders to Pakistan would hopefully open new vistas for expanding trade and investment relations with all D-8 countries.
Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf would inaugurate the D-8 Trade Exhibition and D-8 Business Forum on November 19 and 20 respectively.
Given the government’s efforts to promote interaction with the private sector, these business activities would provide a solid platform at which Pakistan’s public and private sector would be able to showcase a wide range of opportunities in joint ventures and investment.
Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar would chair the Council of Ministers meeting.
The meeting of the governors of central banks of the D-8 countries would make recommendations for cooperation on financial and monetary issues.
Moreover, the meeting would also discuss the impact of global economic crisis, cooperation through trade and capital inflows, and development finance.
Similarly, the meeting of D-8 heads of trade promotion organizations and Trade Exhibition together with an interactive seminar would be spread over four days.
This event would provide an opportunity to Pakistan’s private sector to exchange information on its existing potential with experts from other countries, while also learning about other markets.
