Yudhoyono calls for stepped-up trade, partnerships among D-8 countries

Kuala Lumpur (ANTARA News) - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Developing Eight (D-8) countries should step up their trade relations and partnerships, building on the potentials of their collective market of 900 million people, in the face of the current global crisis. "We must reduce the disparities existing among D-8 member countries and then step up our trade relations and also strengthen the partnerships among ourselves," President Yudhoyono said in his speech at the D-8 summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday. Yudhoyono delivered the speech in his capacity as D-8 chairman for the 2006-2008 period, and then handed the chairmanship to Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for the 2008-2010 period. To face the food and energy crisis, Yudhoyono said D-8 countries should be more proactive and... [read full story]