Iran to participate in D-8 Cairo summit
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The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation was formed in 1997 to strengthen collaboration among nations ranging from Southeast Asia to Africa.
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during his press conference in Tehran on September 16, 2024. (AP)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will attend a meeting of major Muslim countries in Egypt on Thursday, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, marking the first visit by an Iranian president to Egypt in over 10 years.
Egypt is holding a summit of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, which comprises Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkiye. The D-8 was formed in 1997 to strengthen collaboration among nations ranging from Southeast Asia to Africa.
Relations between Egypt and Iran have typically been strained in recent decades, but the two nations have increased high-level diplomatic contacts since the outbreak of the war on Gaza last year, with Egypt attempting to play a mediating role.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi visited Egypt in October to discuss regional concerns with Egyptian officials, while his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdel Ati attended Pezeshkian's inauguration.
"We have the important summit... known as D-8 in Egypt, the foreign minister will take part in the ministerial conference, and then the summit will be held with the participation of the president," Baghaei said in a weekly televised press conference.
Baghaei said Iran will address regional and bilateral issues with the participating nations on the sidelines of the summit.
The summit is also expected to discuss a number of key issues, most notably the humanitarian crisis and reconstruction challenges in Gaza and Lebanon, and discuss the situation resulting from the Israeli aggression in the Middle East.
