Baku: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has hailed the country's recent membership in the D-8 organization as a significant achievement. "I consider our membership in the D-8 organization to be a very great achievement. Because this organization has been there for almost 30 years and has not accepted a new member ever since its inception," President Aliyev stated during an interview with local television channels on January 5.

According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, President Aliyev emphasized that Azerbaijan is the only new member of the D-8 organization, which includes some of the largest countries in the Muslim world. He highlighted that the combined population of the member countries exceeds one billion, with a total economy surpassing four trillion dollars. Despite Azerbaijan's smaller size in terms of population and economy, President Aliyev views the country's official participation as a sign of respect and a result of its independent policy. He noted that Azerbaijan has already begun active involvement in the organization.