Ankara: D-8 Secretary-General Ambassador Sohail Mahmood held meetings with Turkish officials, parliamentarians, researchers, academics, and industry representatives on Monday and Tuesday, focusing on strengthening institutional partnerships and practical cooperation.
According to Anadolu Agency, Mahmood, who is Pakistan's former foreign secretary, met Ambassador Aylin Sekizkok, D-8 commissioner of Trkiye, at the Turkish Foreign Ministry to discuss the organization's institutional capacity, sectoral cooperation, and engagement with member states and partners.
The D-8 is an organization for development cooperation among Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Trkiye. Azerbaijan was admitted as the ninth member in 2024.
Mahmood thanked Trkiye for its continued support as a founding member and host of the D-8 Secretariat, and welcomed its hosting of the first D-8 International Ministerial Meeting on Environment in Istanbul in July, which produced the "Istanbul Declaration" ahead of COP31.
He also held talks with Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) Director General Zehra Zumrut Selcuk on cooperation in statistics, socioeconomic research, and capacity-building, and with Center for Strategic Research (SAM) President Ramazan Erdag on joint research and policy initiatives.
At OSTIM Technical University, Mahmood discussed expanding D-8 cooperation in artificial intelligence, innovation, entrepreneurship, startups, SMEs, and university-industry partnerships.
At the Turkish parliament, he met lawmaker Burhan Kayaturk to discuss economic cooperation, connectivity, and people-to-people exchanges, emphasizing greater parliamentary engagement with the D-8.
Mahmood also attended an Indonesian Embassy reception marking the country's 81st Independence Day.
The D-8 said the visit reflected Mahmood's focus on action-oriented diplomacy and broader institutional cooperation. Muhammad Bilal Khan, executive assistant to the secretary-general, accompanied him.