The Islamic Summit .. Erdogan talks about countries that were absent and under pressure

In response to a question about the absence of Pakistan and Indonesia from the Islamic Summit in Kuala Lumpur under assumed Saudi and Emirati pressure, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that this position is not the first of its kind.

Erdogan mentioned that Saudi Arabia has put pressure on Pakistan and made pledges to the Central Bank of Pakistan, adding that there are four million Pakistani workers in Saudi Arabia threatening to expel them and replace them with workers from Bangladesh, and to withdraw deposits from the Central Bank of Pakistan.

The Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan - who was one of the enthusiastic leaders to hold the summit - had taken a decision not to attend during the last hours before the start of the summit last Wednesday, and Indonesia intended to send the vice president, but later retracted that.

Earlier, Reuters news agency quoted Pakistani officials, who requested anonymity, that Khan withdrew under pressure from Saudi Arabia, his country's closest ally. However, media reports quoted officials also denying that this was the reason for not representing the second largest Islamic country in the world.

On the other hand, Reuters quoted a Saudi source as saying that Riyadh has received an invitation to attend, but it will not attend unless the summit is held under the auspices of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Before the launch of the summit, the official Saudi Press Agency reported that a phone call had taken place between Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and King Salman bin Abdulaziz, during which he stressed that these issues should be discussed through the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Mahathir invited to this summit - which ends on Saturday - in order to discuss a new strategy to deal with the problems of the Islamic world and improve the lives of Muslims. The core of the summit was originally formed from Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey and Qatar, but the Malaysian Prime Minister said that he had invited Saudi Arabia, Iran and other Islamic countries to participate.

Mahathir, 94, said that the Kuala Lumpur summit did not aim to be a substitute for regional institutions, and his office also stressed in a statement that there was no intention to form a "new bloc, as some critics suggested."

Malaysian criticism
Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said Friday that some Muslim countries are waging secret wars on behalf of the superpowers.

This came in a speech he delivered in the framework of the third day of the summit, and it blatantly criticized Saudi Arabia and some Gulf countries for criticizing the summit.

"When Malaysia announced its desire to organize the Kuala Lumpur Summit, some of them accused us of dividing the Islamic nation, but these same parties agree to bomb other countries or impose sanctions on them," the minister added, adding that some Muslim countries mock some small countries.

He continued, saying, "These countries are fighting secret wars on behalf of the great powers, and waging proxy wars for the interests of other countries."

Mahathir and Hamas delegation
On the other hand, the delegation of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) today met the Malaysian Prime Minister on the sidelines of the summit, and discussed with him the developments of the Palestinian issue.

The movement said in a statement that a delegation of its political bureau members, headed by Musa Abu Marzouq, met Mahathir Muhammad and "reviewed the recent developments related to the file of the Palestinian elections to be held, and the flexibility and concessions made by Hamas to make it succeed."

The statement stated that Abu Marzouk praised Malaysia's efforts in supporting the Palestinian people, and expressed his hope that "the mini-Islamic summit will translate practical steps that support the Palestinian people in the battle of steadfastness against the Israeli occupation."