CAIRO (Dispatches) -- The president of Turkey and Iran called on Thursday for unity in Syria and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas urged that Israel be punished as the heads of eight Muslim-majority countries met in Cairo for the D8 summit, following the ouster of Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad.
The gathering of the D8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as the Developing8, was held against a backdrop of regional turmoil including the Israeli war on Gaza, a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon and turmoil in Syria.
“Today, we have gathered under circumstances where the West Asia region is experiencing a sensitive, complex, and unstable situation,” President Pezeshkian said.
He touched on Israel’s devastating attacks against Syria’s infrastructure, particularly its military, saying Iran strongly condemns the Zionist regime’s attacks on the Arab country’s infrastructure, property, and assets.
Pezeshkian said that “for more than 14 months, the Middle East region, in particular Gaza and southern Lebanon, and now… Syria, has been the target of massive attacks” by the occupying regime of Israel.
“The first step to stop these acts of aggression is to pressure this regime for a ceasefire in Gaza and to halt the attacks on Lebanon and Syria. This issue must be the most important human and ethical priority for the countries of the region and members of the D8 organization,” he said. 
“We express complete dismay at the silence of international organizations and forums, particularly the United Nations, regarding the regime’s aggressions and the occupation of Syrian territory. We call for the complete withdrawal of the occupiers and the restoration of stability and security to the country.” 
Pezeshkian called for “the participation of all Syrian groups in the future government… as well as respect for different beliefs and religions.”
He was the first Iranian president to visit Egypt since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2013.
Relations between Egypt and Iran have been strained for decades, but diplomatic contacts have intensified since Cairo became a mediator in the war in Gaza.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Egypt in October, while his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty traveled to Tehran in July to attend Pezeshkian’s inauguration.
Abbas, speaking at a special session on Gaza and Lebanon, said the international community should

 adopt “a single standard of justice” and ensure Israel “is held accountable and punished for violations of international law” in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
Abbas called for the adoption of a political plan he presented at a November summit in Riyadh, which includes a ceasefire, Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza and full UN membership for Palestine.
Iran’s president expressed support for any agreement backed by all Palestinian factions.
“The right to self-determination of the Palestinian people must be respected,” said Pezeshkian.
He called on the international community to pressure Israel to implement a ceasefire in Gaza, end attacks on Lebanon and Syria and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
The Zionist regime and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire deal last month which is slated to see the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon by the end of next month.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for reconciliation in Syria and the restoration of the country’s “territorial integrity and unity.”
He also voiced hope for “the establishment of a Syria free of terrorism,” where “all religious sects and ethnic groups live side by side in peace.”
 The Cairo summit also hosted a meeting between Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation, but split in a brutal 1971 war, with Bangladesh then drawing closer to Pakistan’s arch-rival India. Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus said he had “agreed to strengthen relations” with Pakistan, a move likely to further test his country’s frosty relations with India.
Established in 1997, the D8 aims to foster cooperation among member states, spanning regions from Southeast Asia to Africa. The organization includes Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia as member states.
Pezeshkian called on the D8 countries to forge new bonds of friendship as the member nations gathered in Cairo for a summit.  
“The importance of preserving friendships and forging new bonds through multilateral cooperation among Islamic countries, based on development and collective benefits, is now felt more than ever,” he said.
“Moving toward multilateralism and establishing smart economic and trade networks among nations is a rightful course of action, reflecting the will of the majority of countries,” Pezeshkian added.
The president announced Iran’s interest in sharing its experiences and achievements, adding the country will support any initiative or proposal that fosters synergy in economic fields and paves the way for the involvement of young people in development-oriented programs.
Pezeshkian also said that Iran is ready to undertake joint actions within the framework of the D8 to collectively support young entrepreneurs.
The Iranian president suggested that the D8 Technology Transfer Network, with its secretariat located at the Pardis Technology Park in Tehran, could be key in advancing joint youth-related initiatives.
Pezeshkian, however, expressed concern that member states still have a long way to go to reach the D-8’s 2030 vision.
“The volume of trade among D8 member countries is still far from the organization’s 2030 vision. We hope that during Egypt’s presidency of the organization, we will witness an acceleration in trade volume among the members. In this regard, barter trade can play a decisive role in increasing trade volume between the members,” he said.
The next meeting of the “D-8 Permanent Committee on Communications and Information Technology” will soon be hosted by Iran, Pezeshkian said.