Pakistan Ambassador: D-8 Can Be More Active Under Indonesia's Leadership
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Pakistan’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, believes that the D-8 organisation has the potential to become more active and dynamic under Indonesia’s leadership, even though the implementation of the D-8 Summit has been postponed.
“We understand the postponement of the upcoming D-8 Summit due to the ongoing geostrategic situation. We hope that this issue, this conflict, will be resolved soon and the D-8 Summit will also be held soon in Jakarta,” said Ambassador Chaudhri during a visit to the ANTARA Heritage Center in Jakarta on Thursday.
Ambassador Chaudhri also stated that his side views Indonesia as remaining committed to carrying out its D-8 leadership role in order to transform the organisation into one that is more active and dynamic.
On 13 March 2026, Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) announced that the D-8 Summit would be postponed until further notice.
In a media briefing by Kemlu in Jakarta, Director of Multilateral Cooperation Tri Tharyat conveyed that Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono had sent a letter to D-8 partner countries regarding the postponement of the D-8 Summit and all related activities.
“Regarding the determination of the next date, we will certainly discuss it in more detail at the time. At present, it may not be the right time due to ongoing developments in the Middle East region,” he said.
According to him, the decision was taken after Kemlu consulted with the D-8 Secretary-General, commissioners, ambassadors of D-8 member countries, and partners in their respective accredited countries.
Indonesia will lead the D-8 chairmanship for the 2026-2027 period, promoting the theme “Navigating Global Shifts: Strengthening Equality, Solidarity, and Cooperation for Shared Prosperity.”
The D-8 is an economic cooperation organisation of developing countries comprising Indonesia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey. Azerbaijan became the newest member to join the D-8 in December 2024.
Iran was attacked by the United States and Israel on 28 February, killing Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, hundreds of schoolgirls, and other high-ranking Iranian officials.
Iran then carried out retaliatory strikes by attacking US military assets stationed in Middle Eastern countries and effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz waterway, resulting in a rise in global oil prices.