Statement of H.E. Mr. Abdullah Gül, President of the Republic of Turkey at the 7th Summit of D-8

"Mr. Chairman,
Honorable Heads of State and Government,
Distinguished Ministers,
Mr. Secretary General
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to be in Nigeria on the occasion of the Seventh Summit Meeting of the Heads of State and Government of the Developing-8.
At the outset, I would like to express our deep appreciation to H.E. Goodluck Jonathan, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for the warm hospitality extended to me and to my delegation since our arrival in Abuja, as well as for the excellent organization of this important meeting.
As I said before in Istanbul in 2008 at the Turkey-Africa Summit I view Africa not just as the cradle of humanity and civilizations, but also as the centre of our common future. Hence, this D-8 Summit in Nigeria further consolidates our members' collective commitment to Africa.
As the founder of the initiative and the host country of its Secretariat, Turkey has always attached a special importance to the cooperation within the framework of the D-8. We remain committed to the goals and objectives set forth by the 1997 Istanbul Declaration, which constitutes the basis of our cooperation.
Thirteen years ago, when founding D-8, we came together around the common goals of strengthening our economies and elevating the prosperity of our peoples through cooperation and by means of our nations' vast natural and young dynamic human resources. Today, these continue to be our main objectives.
Honorable Heads of State and Government,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
D-8's main focus has always been economic development. However, economic development is not a mechanical phenomenon. It is a rather dynamic and social notion subject to unpredictable nature of human behavior.
Since early 90s development discourse has shifted from pure economic development to the notion of human development which comprises subjects ranging from democratic participation and gender equality to political accountability, from eradication of poverty to globalization, from human rights to climate change. As a result, any development policy which does not place the human element at its center is bound to become irrelevant.
Therefore, as the members of the D-8 we should put people to the forefront of our development efforts. This cardinal priority urges us to provide our peoples with the best standards of freedom, equality and prosperity.
The current global economic and financial crisis has proven, once again, the wisdom behind the establishment of such groupings as the D-8. During the crisis, emerging economies have been a source of strength. Their solid growth performance has helped avoid the freefall of the global economy.
Thus, we believe that developing countries should also be an indispensable part of the decision making process. In this regard, let me assure you that Turkey and Indonesia, at the same time being members of the G-20, act as the voice of the D-8 in that important forum.
The global financial crisis has harshly shown that we are all interconnected and that none of us can prevent the negative effects of the crisis on our own. Therefore, it is necessary that the like-minded countries such as the D-8, act in harmony and deepen their cooperation. We should also re-design our vision in order to adjust the D-8 to the new realities and necessities of the global system.
I am confident that the Abuja Declaration which we will adopt today will reaffirm our commitment to the goals and objectives of our Group.
The Declaration, in this sense, will also demonstrate to the international community that the D-8 continues to function as a respected mechanism of developing countries for addressing the challenges of the new global system.
-The D-8 countries comprise over 960 million people, which make up for 15 % of the world's population, with a dynamic labor force.
-Our countries have rich mineral, energy and agricultural resources, promising tourism capacities and competitive operational costs.
-Half of our members (Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia and Turkey) are among the top 25 merchandise exporters of the World.
-Two of them (Indonesia and Turkey) are members of the G-20.
-Two of our members (Iran and Nigeria) play a very important role in the world energy supply.
- All the D-8 countries are major players in their respective regions, namely in the Middle East, the Caucasus, the Balkans, Europe, South East Asia, Africa and the Far East. Our members are contributing to peace and security in those vast regions.
However, the contribution of the D-8 member countries to the global trade as well as the percentage of intra-D-8 trade of the member states still remains at inadequate levels (both around 5 %).
This problem primarily stems from the fact that our members are barely benefiting from the peace dividend in their respective regions. Therefore, we cannot achieve the desired level of prosperity without creating a peaceful and cooperation-friendly environment in our neighborhood.
I believe that the D-8 as an organization has an important role to play in ensuring peace, stability and prosperity in the world. In this context, fulfilling the goals of the D-8 road map, endorsed by the 2008 Ministerial Council will be crucial.
Mr. Chairman,
Honorable Heads of State and Government,
I would particularly like to note that we should attribute cardinal priority to the trade and investment issues. Enhancement of cooperation in these sectors will positively contribute to the development of our national economies.
That is why, I would like to express my appreciation to Honorable President Jonathan for choosing "Enhancing Investment Cooperation among D-8 Members" as the main theme of our Summit Meeting.
Taking this opportunity, I can proudly say that, over the recent years, Turkey has accomplished a great transformation process and implemented comprehensive structural reform agenda in its economy. Turkey has successfully carried out an ambitious privatization process and sweeping reforms including in the social security, energy and telecommunication sectors.
We have changed the whole legal system in a liberal manner for foreign direct investments so that foreign investors can come and invest in Turkey without any hesitation. Consequently, the foreign direct investment inflows have reached a total 80 billion US dollars for the last 6 years.
I believe that in modern times the main source of economic growth has been the accumulation of knowledge. Without establishing a knowledge based economy it would be almost impossible for developing countries to catch up with the developed world. For this reason, Turkey has implemented legal reforms and ambitious support programs to foster research and development activities with a view to increase our competitiveness.
Today, Turkey is offering significant opportunities for investors from D-8 member countries, with its geographically perfect position to function as a gateway between Europe, Middle East and Central Asia. The opportunities exist not only in the dynamic domestic market, but also throughout the region.
Likewise, the Turkish private sector is interested in opening up to new markets in the D-8 member countries. Their areas of interest are as diverse from agriculture, energy, environment, education and transport to tourism industry.
Another area of paramount importance is mining, minerals and geothermal energy. The Turkish General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration considers that cooperation with the corresponding institutions from the D-8 member states will be highly beneficial.
The activities of the private sector play an important role in the development of our economic cooperation. In this context, we applaud the D-8 Business Forum as well as the Trade Fair which are being organized in Abuja, in the margins of this Summit.
At this point, we are pleased that "the Agreement on Simplification of Visa Procedures for the Businessmen of the D-8 Member States" has been already ratified by Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Malaysia and Bangladesh and recently entered into force. I would also like to call upon the rest of the D-8 members to accelerate the signing and ratification procedures of this Agreement. Likewise, the ratification of the "Agreement on Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters" and the "Preferential Trade Agreement" (PTA) would open new horizons for the D-8.
Mr. Chairman,
Honorable Heads of State and Government,
D-8 cooperation, while having a different structure than those existing international bodies or organizations, from its inception has evolved and matured as much as our world and our countries. As the members of a genuine global organization, geographic distances among our nations should not deter us from having planned activities and implementing ambitious projects.
With this understanding, the meeting of the Central Bank Governors of the D-8 Members which was held in Abuja was also very pertinent and timely. We appreciate the Nigerian Central Bank for hosting this event.
With regard to addressing the challenges of global economic downturn, I would like to underline that governments should not step back from the principles of being realistic, prudent, consistent and reliable while preparing their economic and fiscal consolidation programs. If required, it is vital for market confidence that such plans are supported by the international institutions. Moreover, fighting with unemployment should be a top policy priority for all countries
My country has managed the recent economic crisis quite well. We did so by implementing appropriate fiscal and monetary policies. We are aware that restoring confidence, adopting targeted policies and having proper planning are instrumental in achieving that. We are now seeing very encouraging data suggesting that our economy is among the one of the fastest growing in the world.
Mr. Chairman,
Honorable Heads of State and Government,
In concluding my remarks, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for Malaysia which held the D-8 Chairmanship-in-Office for the past two years and wish all the success to Nigeria as it assumes the Chairmanship-in-Office for the next two years.
It is my sincere belief that this Summit will be another important step in our continuous efforts to bring to our peoples greater prosperity.
Thank you."