Mr. Chairman,
Honorable Ministers,
Mr. Secretary General
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to be in brotherly country Pakistan on the occasion of the Fifteenth Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of D-8.
At the outset, I would like to express our deep appreciation to my Sister and dear colleague H.E. Hina Rabbani Khar, Foreign Minister of Pakistan, and her able team for the excellent arrangements made for this important meeting.
As the founder of the initiative and the host country of its Secretariat, Turkey attributes paramount importance to cooperation within the framework of the D-8. We remain committed to the goals and objectives set forth by the 1997 Istanbul Declaration, which constitutes the basis of our cooperation.
Fifteen years ago, when founding the D-8, we came together in the pursuit of common goals for strengthening our economies and elevating the welfare of our peoples through cooperation and by means of our nations’ vast human and natural resources.
At that time, our leaders wisely envisioned a group of like-minded countries aspiring to achieve more prosperous, more participatory and not least a genuinely just world economic order. These, today, continue to be our main objectives along with supporting the sustainable growth of our economies.
You may recall, at that time, our leaders exchanged views regarding global economic developments and their effects on our countries. As we all concurred at that time too, poverty in the world may only be eliminated through attaining equal economic means and opportunities. We have agreed that in order for our economies to ensure sustainable development, industrialization, enhanced human resources, and forward-looking partnership between public and private sectors are vital.
On the other hand, since 1997 the world has also experienced several economic crises, with the recent global financial crisis being the most severe one. This has triggered wide ranging need for economic and financial reforms by the international community to strengthen the resilience of the global financial architecture.
During the crisis, emerging economies have been a source of strength. Their solid growth performance has avoided the freefall of the global economy. The current global economic and financial crisis has thus proven, once again, the wisdom behind the establishment of such groupings as the D-8.
As a matter of fact, the growing importance of such groupings also confirms the re-emergence of the East and South on the global stage in terms of not only politics but also economics. From production, processing and manufacturing to service sectors, the ongoing shift in the center of gravity of global economics is evident.
At this juncture, we need a new development paradigm based on justice to properly address the new challenges that not only the developing countries but also the world at large are faced with. We need to come up with more representative structures which may better respond to the expectations of justice and more equitable sharing of the global welfare.
In the design of the new political and economic order, common understanding, unity and cooperation among developing countries, along with their rich natural and human resources should outweigh our constraints at the bargaining table with the key actors and institutions of the international system.
That is why, in view of the global economic crisis and sweeping political transformation in our neighborhood and the world at large, economic and commercial cooperation and solidarity among D-8 members should be regarded as a more valuable asset than ever.
It is therefore well fitting to name the theme of this Summit as “Democratic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity” as the interdependence between welfare and human freedom has never been that much evident. Nowadays, the greater respect for the rule of law, good governance, pluralism and social justice is strictly interrelated with socio-economic development of countries.
As the members of D-8, our partnership should be underpinned by a common agenda which can address the needs of the people and the facts on the ground. Such an agenda should comprise innovative political and economic approaches going hand-in-hand.
In this respect, we need to make concerted efforts towards enhancing sustainable growth through inclusive policies. We should work on establishing participatory institutional frameworks conducive to human development in our societies. Obviously, only through sound business environment which in turn necessitates transparent, functioning and comprehensive decision-making mechanisms in economics and politics could we sustain socio-economic development.
D-8, with a new structural identity, a visionary global guideline and a sound institutional ground will no doubt serve to meet such an ultimate goal.
Of course, this does not mean one-size-fits-all solutions; neither does it involve top-to-bottom kind of social engineering methods. We may have shared goals but we are also required both to chart tailor-based approaches and to calibrate D-8 work to each member state duly. Needless to say, it requires a great deal of work.
Nonetheless, owing to the unique character of its member states illustrating a source of inspiration for integration of the countries from three continents, namely Asia, Africa and Europe, the D-8 has a historic mission to play in this regard.
Let me touch upon the economic pillars of such an important goal D-8 is about to embark:
First and foremost comes the structure, so to speak the building blocks as the great Pakistani thinker and poet Muhammad Iqbal wisely puts it “wrong concept misleads the understanding; a wrong deed degrades the whole man, and may eventually demolish the structure…”
D-8 cooperation has a different structure from the existing international bodies or organizations. It evolved and matured since its inception.
Although geographic distances between our nations might be considered as a disadvantage for realizing planned activities and producing further concrete projects, our political will for the enhancement of D-8 cooperation is strong enough to overcome these physical barriers.
Moreover, by utilizing the means offered by technology and information age, we can diversify and enhance our activities within the D-8. Our efforts towards making best use of the potentials of our countries will eventually bear fruit to the benefit of the peoples of D-8.
Yet, the D-8 needs structural transformation in order to live up to the unique conditions and challenges of the 21st Century so as to enable its voice to be counted in the development and socio-economic issues that matter for the emerging economies.
To this effect, we are pleased to have designed a new vision for the D-8 and finally to adopt its Charter and a new organizational structure. The last Commission Meeting, which was held on 12-14 March 2012 in Abuja, Nigeria, was very fruitful in outlining the future perspectives of the Organization.
Secondly, devising feasible areas of economic cooperation and developing long term perspectives and policies within the framework of D-8 are of vital importance.
To this aim, we need to exchange best practices, facilitate business creativity, promote advanced financial strategies and engage leading actors in economics of D-8 countries through special events, development workshops, and joint projects.
As such, we will be able to open up new economic opportunities, constitute new social models and implement firm policies for the socio-economic betterment of hundreds of millions of people which the D-8 represents.
In fact, the importance of economic and trade cooperation has also increased in the face of intense international competition and the speedy transformation process in every sector that we are witnessing today.
It is necessary for the member states to continue effective cooperation through long term policies. D-8 is a good platform of discussion about the transformations in the world economy.
In this context, the financial as well as food and energy crises which our world has been going through periodically add urgency to this process.
That is why we believe that the priority areas such as trade, energy, transportation, customs, agriculture, finance and tourism should be on the focus of D-8’s attention.
By the same token, while the governments remain as pivotal catalysts and enablers of economic growth, D-8 cooperation must essentially be private-sector driven.
Therefore, in order to enhance cooperation and communication between the private sectors within the D-8 framework, organizing trade fairs, trade shows and buyer/seller meetings, promoting mutual visits between the private sectors and initiatives towards bringing together the businessmen from the member countries would be beneficial.
In this respect, special thanks go to the Pakistani authorities for their impeccable organization of Business Forum and other sideline events during the 8th Summit.
Thirdly, since the success of any multi-lateral economic gathering is measured by the volume of its intra-trade and its share in the global trade, we need to accelerate our endeavors within the framework of the D-8 towards the liberalization of trade and gradual removal of non-tariff barriers. Despite of the fact that half of the member countries (such as Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia and Turkey) are cited amongst the top 25 merchandise exporters of the world and two of them (Indonesia and Turkey) are member of G-20, the D-8 countries altogether regretfully perform poorly both at the global and the regional level.
To give an example, D-8 total trade share in the world accounts for only 4.87 % as of 2011. More regrettably, the percentage of the intra D-8 trade in the total trade of the members with the rest of the world stands on inadequate levels corresponding to just 7.5%. These figures are far from the target of 15-20% set by the 2008-2018 road-map of D-8.
On this account, the ratification of the “Agreement on Administrative Assistance in Custom Matters”, Simplification of Visa Procedures for the Businessmen of the D-8 Member States and the “Preferential Trade Agreement” (PTA) as well as its annex on “Rules of Origin” that constitutes an integral part of the PTA and Civil Aviation Cooperation are important benchmarks of D-8.
However, we still need to overcome some bureaucratic obstacles for the implementation of these agreements and cooperation activities. On this occasion, I call on all my colleagues to take concrete steps on this matter so that we can implement the said agreements.
At this point, I would like to express my appreciation for what we have achieved so far, concerning PTA in particular. At present, six member states are parties to the agreement and the the Rules of Origin. However, in order to effectuate the agreement, contracting parties need to complete the internal procedures and we need to set a date for implementation.
To this end, we hosted the first meeting of the Supervisory Committee in March 2012 to enable the speedy effectuation of the Agreement. We are also planning to convene the second meeting in the first half of 2013.
We now stand prepared more than ever for the entry into force of the implementation phase of the Agreement. I do hope that with your cooperation and support, we will be able to put into effect the Agreement in 2013 and utilize the increasing trade among us.
In terms of betterment of D-8 intra-trade unlocking the interconnecting potential of D-8 becomes all the more important in that member countries are natural springboards among major economic zones such as the EU and ASEAN.
D-8 itself may thus become an important actor for multi-tier trade routes stretching from Mediterranean to the Pacific.
Excellencies,
Dear Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Turkey supports the efforts of the D-8 Secretariat with a view to setting up a more institutionalized structure.
We are convinced that adoption of the global vision and the D-8 charter as well as the establishment of new organizational set up would increase and strengthen the efficiency of the organization.
By the means of a more institutionalized and visionary D-8 structure, we are now able to set realistic but precise timeframes for our targets I already set out.
I believe that given the institutional novelties that it is expected to bring about, the 8th Summit will be recalled as a turning point in the history of the D-8.
While concluding my remarks, I would like to express my most sincere thanks and gratitude to Nigeria for completing its term of D-8 Chairmanship-in-Office successfully and wish all the success to Pakistan as it assumes the Chairmanship-in-Office for the next two years.
I would also like to extend my appreciation to the Secretary-General Mr. Widi Pratikto for his commendable work in executing D-8 activities and preparing comprehensive reports.
On this occasion, I also congratulate our new Secretary General, Ambassador Seyed Ali Mohammed Mousavi and welcome him warmly. I have no doubt that like his predecessor he will display an able leadership during his tenure.
Finally, I also would like to thank the Secretariat staff for their tireless efforts throughout the preparation process of the Summit and once again convey my heartfelt congratulations to our host, my dear Sister Mrs. Rabbani Khar for the successful organization of the meeting.
Thank you