Turkey’s 66-year-old leader has himself minced no words, declaring in 2018 that the Republic of Turkey was a continuation of the Ottoman empire. This aspiration has pitted Erdogan’s Turkey against Saudi Arabia over its claims of global Islamic leadership. Saudi Arabia was one of the territories controlled by the Ottoman Empire during its heyday, apart from parts of Europe, northern Africa and other West Asian countries. It was also why Erdogan’s Hagia Sophia move was an unambiguous message to the Islamic world as well. In South Asia, Turkey’s growing proximity with Pakistan, whose voice Erdogan echoes on Kashmir, has soured relations between Ankara and New Delhi.

Source: Hindustan Times September 14, 2020 10:37 UTC