Islamabad, Dec 19: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto during the 11th Summit of the Developing Eight (D-8) countries in Cairo, Egypt, as reported by ARY News.
During their meeting, the two leaders discussed various aspects of their bilateral relationship, including political, trade, and economic matters.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office highlighted their agreement on the importance of strengthening economic and trade ties and maintaining close communication to enhance bilateral cooperation.
PM Shehbaz praised Indonesia for being a reliable trade partner, particularly in the supply of palm oil. He noted that Pakistan imports a significant portion of its edible oil from Indonesia.
The Prime Minister also expressed gratitude to Indonesia for supporting Pakistan’s bid to become a sectoral dialogue partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and for its backing of Pakistan’s membership in ASEAN’s Regional Forum. He expressed hope that with Indonesia’s continued support, Pakistan would secure full dialogue partner status with ASEAN.
Both leaders reiterated their strong support for Palestine and called for a comprehensive resolution of the issue, emphasizing the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and advocating for a two-state solution to establish an independent Palestinian state.
PM Shehbaz invited President Prabowo Subianto to visit Pakistan, which was accepted.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, along with Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ataullah Tarar, were also present at the meeting.
The Prime Minister is currently visiting Egypt and leading Pakistan’s delegation at the D-8 Summit. The theme of the 11th D-8 Summit is “Investing in Youth and Supporting SMEs: Shaping Tomorrow’s Economy.”
The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, established in 1997 in Istanbul, consists of Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkiye. Its goal is to enhance economic cooperation among member states to foster growth, sustainable development, and improve living standards by focusing on agriculture, trade, transportation, industry, energy, and tourism.
