TEHRAN - In a meeting of D-8 Chambers of Commerce and Industry (D-8 CCI) in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka on Tuesday, Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholam-Hossein Shafeie emphasized the need for the members of the organization to strengthen presence and influence in global markets through positive interaction with each other and with the world.

“The only way to activate the chambers of commerce and the private sectors of the D-8 member countries is to strengthen the supply chain through promoting joint investment, joint production, and bilateral and multilateral cooperation among the members of the organization and with other countries,” Shafeie said in his speech at the meeting.

As reported by the ICCIMA portal, Shafeie announced the readiness and willingness of Iran's private sector to play an intermediatory role among the D-8 member states and emphasized: “Having extensive oil and gas reserves and mineral resources and being located at the east-west, north-south transit crossroads, Iran is ready to play a significant role in connecting the D-8 members and in this regard welcomes investment in different sectors.”

He further mentioned the capacities and potentials of the D-8 nations, saying: “D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation benefits from irreplaceable capacities in various economic, geographical, and cultural sectors in addition to great human resources, but these capacities will not be activated without serious cooperation among the members.”

This organization is established on solid and reliable foundations, he said, adding that the members of this organization have a population of more than one billion and a gross domestic product of more than four trillion dollars, which, considering the good relations between the members, can become a great power in the global economy.

The ICCIMA head also invited the heads of the D-8 chambers of commerce to visit Iran along with trade delegations to get familiar with the economic capacities of the Islamic Republic and to explore avenues of mutual cooperation.

Established in 1997, D-8, also known as Developing-8, is an organization for development cooperation among a group of developing countries including Iran, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey.

The objectives of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation are to improve member states’ position in the global economy, diversify and create new opportunities in trade relations, enhance participation in decision-making at the international level, and improve standards of living.

EF/MA