Indonesia Postpones D-8 Summit In Jakarta Amid West Asia Tensions - Foreign Ministry

JAKARTA, March 13 (Bernama) -- The Developing Eight (D-8) Summit and related meetings scheduled to be held in Jakarta on April 15 has been postponed until further notice due to the ongoing developments in the West Asia.

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry Director for Multilateral Cooperation, Tri Tharyat, said Foreign Minister Sugiono had sent letter to D-8 partner countries informing them of the postponement of the summit and all related meetings.

“I spoke with the D-8 secretary-general and all the commissioners. Our ambassadors in D-8 member countries also communicated with their respective counterparts in their countries of accreditation.

“Following these consultations, the foreign minister signed a letter last night to his counterparts informing them of the postponement of the D-8 Summit and all related meetings,” he said during a media briefing on Friday.

The D-8 is an economic cooperation organisation comprising Indonesia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkiye. Azerbaijan became the newest member after joining the group in December 2024.

Indonesia holds the D-8 chairmanship for the 2026–2027 period under the theme “Navigating Global Shifts: Strengthening Equality, Solidarity and Cooperation for Shared Prosperity.”

Tri said the summit had earlier been scheduled for April 15, preceded by preparatory meetings including the Meeting of Foreign Ministers on April 14 and the Commissioners’ meeting on April 12 to13.

He said the new date for the summit would be discussed at a later time.

“At this moment it may not yet be appropriate, as developments in the West Asia are still ongoing,” he said.

He added that while the summit and meetings would be postponed, other activities related to Indonesia’s D-8 chairmanship would continue.

“Several activities, including some organised by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), will continue as planned, although some dates have yet to be finalised. A number of programmes to be carried out by several technical ministries will also proceed.” 

Tri also explained that Indonesia is already regarded as holding the D-8 chairmanship, even though the formal handover from Egypt has yet to take place.

“Our chairmanship will officially be handed over during the summit, but given the exceptional situation this year, D-8 member countries already regard Indonesia as holding the chairmanship even though it has not yet been formally transferred from Egypt.” 

Tri said most programmes planned under Indonesia’s chairmanship for 2026 and 2027 until the end of its tenure on Dec 31 are largely ready for implementation, while others still under discussion will continue to be refined.

“Therefore, the postponement does not change the overall programme of activities, except for those scheduled to take place back-to-back with the summit, namely the D-8 Business Forum and the Halal Expo, which will also be postponed,” he said.

-- BERNAMA