Indonesia Postpones D-8 Summit Amid Middle East Tensions

Indonesia is set to assume the chairmanship of the Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) for the 2026-2027 term. However, the nation has announced a postponement of the D-8 summit indefinitely, citing the volatile geopolitical climate in the Middle East as the reason for the delay.

The D-8, an organization focused on economic cooperation among developing Muslim-majority countries, was conceived by then-Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan in October 1996. It officially came into being on June 15, 1997, with the signing of the Istanbul Declaration.

Indonesia has historically played a significant role within the D-8. Notably, in 2006, the country's Minister of Trade, along with other D-8 member states' ministers, signed the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA D-8) in Bali. This agreement, aimed at liberalizing trade and enhancing cooperation, came into effect in August 2011 after ratification by Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Turkey. Indonesia ratified the PTA D-8 in September 2011 through Presidential Regulation No. 54/2011. The tariff reductions stipulated by the PTA D-8 are modest, less than 10% of each country's total tariff posts, representing an initial step in D-8 trade cooperation.