Azerbaijan's D-8 membership marks historic milestone in global cooperation

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Isiaka Abdulqadir Imam, the Secretary-General of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, marking Azerbaijan's accession to the organization, making it the first country to join D-8 since its founding.

President Aliyev expressed his gratitude to the member states for their unanimous decision regarding Azerbaijan's accession to the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation. The President emphasized that, as a full member, Azerbaijan would actively contribute to the organization’s development, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

He hailed the fact that Azerbaijan is the first country to join the D-8 since its inception, describing this decision as a mark of respect for Azerbaijan by the member states and a reflection of the strong friendship among them. He further noted that Azerbaijan maintains fruitful and constructive bilateral relations with the D-8 member countries, based on mutual national interests.

In his remarks, President Aliyev stressed the importance of establishing ties between Azerbaijan’s relevant institutions and the organization, highlighting the significance of expanding its geographical reach to the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus region. In this context, the president underscored Azerbaijan’s pivotal role in facilitating the organization’s closer engagement with the region.

President Aliyev expressed hope that Secretary-General Isiaka Abdulqadir Imam’s visit to Azerbaijan would prove to be productive.

Secretary-General Imam, in turn, expressed his gratitude for the meeting and extended his congratulations on Azerbaijan's membership in the organization and the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan. He also congratulated the head of state on Azerbaijan's successful COP29 presidency, emphasizing that significant decisions on the climate agenda were adopted under the country’s leadership.

Highlighting that the D-8 comprises member states with a combined population of 1.2 billion and possesses substantial economic and trade potential, the Secretary-General noted that the organization’s core mission is to foster economic and trade relations among its members. He expressed confidence that Azerbaijan would make a significant contribution to the organization’s development and the implementation of its agenda.

The meeting also saw an exchange of views on future cooperation within the D-8 framework, with discussions covering areas such as energy, climate action, trade, the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, youth, media, and other topics of mutual interest.