�IRNA - The preliminary session of the Group of Eight Developing Countries (D8) inaugurated in Ankara on Tuesday morning.


The three-day meeting is attended by the Iranian Secretary-General of D8 Ali Mohammad Mousavi and several top officials and members of expert commission of the group.

Touching upon the objective of the gathering, Mousavi said that the meeting is aimed at promoting the level of inter-organizational trade from $150 billion to $500 billion in the middle-run period.

The gathering is being held prior to the foreign ministerial meeting and the 9th Summit of the D8

to be held on Oct 20 in Istanbul.

The D8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as Developing-8, is an organization for development co-operation among Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey.

The objectives of D8 are to improve member states' position in the global economy, diversify and create new opportunities in trade relations, enhance participation in decision-making at international level, and improve standards of living.

D8 is a global arrangement rather than a regional one, as the composition of its members reflects.

It is a forum with no adverse impact on bilateral and multilateral commitments of the member countries, emanating from their membership to other international or regional organizations.