Will Islamic world accept Turkey’s leadership?
Turkish President Erdogan's ambition was not subtle as he stumped for himself at the Organization of Islamic States summit.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used the recent Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit as a grandstanding opportunity to pitch his qualifications to lead the Islamic world.
Erdogan hosted the OIC, which bills itself as the "Collective Voice of the Islamic World," in Istanbul for the April 14-15 summit. He used his opening address to blast the West again and to call on the Islamic world to unite to solve its own problems rather than relying on outsiders, who he said are only pursuing their own energy interests.
The gathering took place against a backdrop of sectarian violence in the Middle East that has resulted in bitter rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which was visible at the summit.
Diplomatic analysts were also quick to pick up on the message Turkey projected via the lineup in the traditional pre-summit portrait.
