Turkey Prepares to Take Over Leadership of Muslim Nations’ Group: Voice of America

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is hosting a summit of over 30 heads of state aimed at overcoming differences among Muslim peoples, VOA News reports.

Saudi King Salman and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, whose countries are at odds over the conflicts in Yemen and Syria, are two of the high-profile guests at the summit of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation.

Areas expected to be discussed include the Palestinian territories, Libya, Yemen, Syria and  the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, which has been the scene of renewed violence between Azeri and ethnic Armenian forces.

During the summit, Turkey is due to assume the presidency of the OIC from Egypt. Representatives from some 56 nations, including 33 presidents and prime ministers, are at the meeting in Istanbul.

But while it plays host to the gathering, Turkey’s own standing in the Muslim world is controversial, due in part to President Erdogan’s ties to former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who was removed from office in 2013. Egypt’s current president, Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, is not attending the event.

Jordan’s King Abdullah has also stayed away.

The presence of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman is evidence of the warming relationship between Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Relations between the two countries have improved since Salman assumed the throne last year.