D-8 Secretary-General holds high-level engagements during Ankara visit

ISLAMABAD, Aug 20 (APP): Secretary-General of the Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) Ambassador Sohail Mahmood held a series of high-level meetings with senior Turkish officials, parliamentarians, academics, research institutions and industry representatives during his two-day working visit to Ankara on August 17-18.

The visit formed part of the Secretary-General’s continued outreach to strengthen institutional partnerships and advance practical cooperation in the D-8’s core priority areas, said a press release issued on Thursday.

During the visit, Ambassador Sohail Mahmood with Ambassador Aylin Sekizkök, D-8 Commissioner of the Republic of Türkiye, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and exchanged views on major D-8 initiatives since his assumption of office in January 2026.

The discussions focused on strengthening the organization’s institutional capacity, expanding sectoral cooperation, deepening engagement with member states and partners and enhancing the D-8’s international profile.

The D-8 Secretary-General appreciated Türkiye’s continued support as a founding member and host country of the D-8 Secretariat. He also acknowledged the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s facilitation of the Secretariat’s engagement with relevant ministries, agencies and institutions, as well as its support for the ongoing exercise to strengthen the Organization’s financial and human resource capacities.

He congratulated Türkiye on successfully hosting the first D-8 International Ministerial Meeting on Environment in Istanbul in July 2026 and the adoption of the Istanbul Declaration, which, he said, had strengthened D-8 coordination on climate action ahead of COP31 under Türkiye’s presidency.

In his visit to the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) the Secretary-General met with its Director General, Ms. Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk. The two sides reviewed existing cooperation between D-8 and SESRIC and discussed expanding collaboration in statistics, socio-economic research, capacity-building and training, including focused analytical and statistical reports on D-8 priority sectors. It was decided to promote joint activities, conferences and workshops in mutually agreed areas and explore ways to place the growing partnership on a more structured institutional footing, including the possibility of a formal cooperation framework.

At the Center for Strategic Research (SAM), the premier think-tank affiliated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, the Secretary-General met with SAM President Prof. Dr. Ramazan Erdag. This was part of his initiative to broaden D-8 engagement with think-tanks, academia, policy experts, intellectuals, and the youth. The two sides discussed ways in which SAM’s research and intellectual capacities could contribute to the promotion of D-8 priority objectives. It was agreed to explore joint research, policy dialogues, conferences, roundtables and other knowledge-based activities, including greater interaction among think-tanks and academic institutions across D-8 Member States.

The Secretary-General visited OSTIM Technical University, where he met with Mr. Orhan Aydin, Chairman of the Board of OSTIM Organized Industrial Zone and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of OSTIM Technical University; Prof. Dr. Murat Yülek, Rector of OSTIM Technical University; Dr. Derya Çaglar, General Manager of OSTIM Technopark; and senior members of the OSTIM team. Discussions covered ongoing D8-OSTIM Technical University cooperation and explored ways to leverage OSTIM’s university-industry-technology ecosystem for D-8 Member States, with emphasis on Artificial Intelligence, research and innovation, Technoparks, entrepreneurship and start-ups, SME development, industrial clusters, commercialization of research, and stronger academia-industry linkages. The Secretary-General highlighted the potential for practical initiatives connecting Universities, Technoparks, researchers, entrepreneurs and SMEs across the D-8 geography.

At the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM), Secretary-General Ambassador Sohail Mahmood met with the Honourable Burhan Kayatürk, Member of Parliament for Van and Chairman of the EU Harmonization Committee. He apprised  Kayatürk of the D-8’s priorities and ongoing activities, and exchanged views on efforts to deepen economic cooperation, connectivity, and people-to-people exchanges among Member States. The Secretary-General highlighted the value of greater parliamentary engagement in promoting awareness and broader ownership of the D-8 and its core mission and objectives.

As part of his Ankara programme, the Secretary-General participated in the Diplomatic Reception hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia marking the 81st Anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence. He exchanged greetings with Achmad Rizal Purnama, Ambassador of Indonesia to Türkiye, and conveyed felicitations to the Government and people of Indonesia.

The Ankara visit reflected the Secretary-General’s emphasis on action-oriented diplomacy and wider institutional outreach, engaging government, research and development institutions, academia, industry, think-tanks and parliamentarians to advance practical partnerships in support of the D-8’s economic cooperation and development agenda.