Expanding intra-block trade, food security and current energy crisis will dominate discussions as the D8 Council of Ministers meets in Dhaka today, amid one of worst global crises clouding these economic lifelines.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would inaugurate the ministerial conference of the grouping that encompasses economic corridors from Asia through the oil-rich Middle East to Central Asia and Africa.
The meeting will also take decisions regarding implementation of the Preferential Trade Agreement or PTA among the member-countries over the next year, officials said.
Presently, the intra trade among the D8 countries amounts to US$129 billion.
"As the world is facing severe energy crisis, the upcoming meeting will devise ways and means to mitigate the crisis," an official at the foreign ministry said.
Ensuring food security will also get special attention in the D8 meeting as, after the beginning of the Ukraine war, there has been an apprehension of a prolonging food crisis in the world.
The Russia-Ukraine war in the hubs of food and fossil fuels and anti-Russia sanctions have blocked supply lines, causing the entire outside world, including the western countries, to suffer from severe supply shortages and go for rationing of the essentials.
An agreement between the warring countries -- mediated by Turkey, a major member of the D8 bloc -- on clearing the supply chains has yet to be fully effective.
The meeting will also discuss a proposal to include Azerbaijan in the grouping.
The D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation, also known as Developing-8, is a forum for development cooperation among the following countries: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey.
The objectives of D-8 Organisation 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 international level, and improve standard of living.
Meanwhile, Hina Rabbani, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan -- one of the countries hard hit by the ongoing global crisis -- cancelled her Dhaka visit at the last minute.
She was scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon.
Official sources said Ms Hina "preferred to join the meeting through virtual platform".
In a latest development, during the last couple of days, a controversy cropped up over "distortion" of the Bangladeshi flag on the Pakistan High Commission website.
The image showed mingling of Bangladeshi and Pakistani flags.
Many pro-liberation groups protested it, and at one stage, Bangladesh foreign ministry told the Pak High Commission in Dhaka to remove the distorted image.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Momen, however, told a press briefing that the Pak High Commission defended their move saying that on their websites in other countries the mingled images of Pakistan flag and host country's flag were posted.''They said that they had no evil intention behind this," the FM said.
It is believed by many that the controversy might have prompted Ms Hina Rabbani to cancel her visit.
Iran's foreign minister also cancelled his Dhaka trip and is scheduled to join the talks online, officials said.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com