Cairo: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on the sidelines of the 11th Summit of the Developing Eight (D-8) countries in Cairo, Egypt.
During their meeting, the two leaders discussed strengthening bilateral relations, including political, trade, and economic cooperation, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Both leaders highlighted the importance of enhancing economic and trade relations and agreed to stay in close contact to further promote bilateral cooperation.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised Indonesia’s role as a reliable trading partner, particularly for its provision of palm oil. “Pakistan imports a significant portion of its edible oil from Indonesia,” he noted.
The Prime Minister also expressed gratitude for Indonesia’s support in Pakistan’s efforts to become a sectoral dialogue partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and a member of its Regional Forum. He expressed hope that, with Indonesia’s continued cooperation, Pakistan would eventually become a full dialogue partner of ASEAN.
The two leaders also reaffirmed their strong support for Palestine and called for a comprehensive resolution to the issue. They urged for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and advocated for a two-state solution to establish an independent Palestinian state.
PM Shehbaz extended an invitation to President Prabowo to visit Pakistan, which was accepted by the Indonesian leader.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar and Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ataullah Tarar. The Prime Minister is currently leading the Pakistani delegation at the 11th D-8 Summit in Egypt.
The theme of this year’s summit is “Investing in Youth and Supporting SMEs: Shaping Tomorrow’s Economy.”
The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, established in 1997 in Istanbul, includes Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey. Its goal is to enhance economic cooperation among member states to promote growth, sustain development, and improve living standards through collaboration in agriculture, trade, transportation, industry, energy, and tourism.
