Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed leaders at the D-8 Summit in Bali, Indonesia in May 2006, urging member nations to expand their ambitions beyond domestic reforms and modernize their foreign policies as well.
Speaking in a session closed to journalists, Erdoğan argued that Türkiye's potential EU membership would open cultural and economic doors for both the Islamic world and Western nations. He reaffirmed Türkiye's commitment to the 1997 Istanbul Declaration, which laid out shared goals for the eight-member bloc.
Erdoğan acknowledged that many objectives set out in that declaration nine years earlier had gone unmet, even as D-8 countries continued to hold substantial natural resources and large populations. He said the group's founding purpose, raising economic strength and improving living standards, remained as relevant as ever.
He pressed for the creation of a permanent, well-staffed D-8 secretariat, describing it as essential to the organization's long-term effectiveness. He also called on member states to take concrete steps toward reducing mistrust among different faiths and cultures. Erdoğan closed by wishing Indonesia well in its role as the bloc's rotating president.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in May 2006, in its own words.