Middle East facing ‘unprecedented challenges,’ Egyptian president tells D-8 summit

CAIRO

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned Thursday of “unprecedented challenges” in the Middle East region amid wars and conflicts.

"Israel’s continuing war against the Palestinian people constitutes a challenge to international legitimacy resolutions," Sisi said in his opening speech to the summit of the D-8 Organization of Economic Cooperation in Cairo.

Israel has launched a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed nearly 45,100 people, mostly women and children, since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

The unrest resulting from the Israeli war has spread to Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen amid rising regional tensions.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last month for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

The Egyptian leader said Egypt plans to sign a preferential trade agreement with the D-8 member states.

Such agreements give preferential access to certain products from the participating countries.

The D-8 summit opened in Cairo on Thursday, with the participation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The summit, held under the theme “Investing in Youth and Supporting SMEs: Shaping Tomorrow's Economy," is scheduled to hold a special session on the situation in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati attending.

The D-8 group was established in Istanbul in 1997 to strengthen economic and social relations among its member states –Türkiye, Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Iran, and Malaysia.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar