“I believe we will double this figure in the next five years,” the minister said, speaking at a D-8 Industry Ministers’ summit in Istanbul on Tuesday.
The D-8, an initiative launched by former Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan in 1997, includes Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt and Nigeria, along with Turkey.
The trade between D-8 countries constitutes 7 percent of their total trade volume, Ergun said. “This is good news of course. But still it is not satisfying.”
Commenting on regional unrest, Widi Pratikto, the D-8 secretary-general, said during his speech, “We can overcome these hard times by working together.”
October 4, 2011
SOURCE: Hürriyet Daily News
