Foreign ministers of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation will meet in Istanbul on Saturday for an extraordinary meeting on the Palestine-Israel conflict. The group of developing eight countries will discuss steps for finding a solution to the ongoing conflict that claimed thousands of lives in the Gaza Strip.
Türkiye leads international efforts for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, utilizing all economic, political and legal resources. The event that will bring together D-8 officials is significant as a collective step on the issue. The international community, particularly Western countries, have been overwhelmingly supportive of Israel during the conflict, despite the latter’s blatant massacres and an ongoing trial over its alleged genocide of Palestinians before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) sought a solution to the issue as Türkiye joined their international efforts.
The meeting is expected to conclude with a joint declaration of the D-8 countries composed of Türkiye, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria and Pakistan.
The D-8 was primarily founded as an economic body, and this will be the first event solely focused on a political issue.
The organization was established in Istanbul in 1997 through the efforts of the late Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, political mentor of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
