Policies of 'Muslim middle powers' can no longer be dictated by West: Pakistani senator

The policies of “Muslim middle powers” can no longer be dictated by Western nations, while these nations should focus on connectivity, boosting their economies, and coming together for “mutual interests,” a Pakistani senator said.

Calling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “lion of Asia” who has a “vision and will,” Mushahid Hussain Sayed told Anadolu Agency: “We have what I call ‘Muslim middle powers’ emerging like Pakistan, Turkiye, Iran, and Saudi Arabia… and these are important elements who are playing a role for stability.”

“Their policies can no longer be dictated by people sitting in London, Washington or New York or Brussels,” said Sayed, who was visiting Istanbul for a meeting on Palestine with lawmakers from several other countries.

Citing the “role” of Turkiye and Pakistan in Azerbaijan’s second Nagorno-Karabakh war which started on Sept. 27, 2020 and lasted 44 days to recapture its territory from Armenia, Sayed called for greater cooperation on regional connectivity, the economy, defense, and issues of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Palestine, and Kashmir.