RIYADH: The Saudi embassy has denied Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s claim that the country pressurised Pakistan to refrain from attending the Kuala Lampur Summit.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier claimed that Pakistan’s absence in the Kuala Lumpur Summit was due to Saudi Arabia as it threatened Islamabad of economic sanctions.
However, Saudi Arabia denied the claim by saying the relationship between the countries was superior to the language of threat.
The Saudi embassy stated, “The brotherly relations between the countries are long-standing and strategic based on trust, understanding and mutual respect.”
The statement added that Saudi Arabia has always stood with Pakistan during difficult times and always strived to stand with Islamabad to be a successful and stable country.
Earlier this week, Pakisatn did not attend the Kuala Lumpur summit which started on 18th December. The summit was meant to discuss problems facing Muslim countries.
The Foreign Office while not directly addressing Erdogan’s statement, denied the allegations and stated that Pakistan did not participate in the Kuala Lumpur summit because time and efforts were needed to address the concerns of major Muslim countries regarding possible division in the Ummah.
Pakistan was one of the first countries with which Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir shared his plans for holding the summit when he met Prime Minister Imran Khan along with Erdogan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York in September. Later, Imran Khan formally conveyed his acceptance of the invitation for attending the summit when Deputy Foreign Minister of Malaysia Marzuki Bin Haji Yahya called on him in Islamabad on 29th November.
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