Arab Nations Oppose Turkey’s Push on Thrace and Cyprus at OIC Summit

A group of significant Arab nations, including Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Bahrain, expressed opposition to Turkey’s efforts during the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit held in Istanbul over the weekend. The reaction came in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who sought to promote Turkish positions regarding the Cyprus issue and the so-called ‘Turkish’ Muslim minority in Thrace and the Dodecanese Islands. The representatives of Egypt and Bahrain raised objections specifically about paragraphs 24 and 25 of the Istanbul Declaration, which address the Turkish Cypriots and the ‘Turkish’ Muslim minority in Western Thrace and the Muslim population in the Dodecanese in Greece. Despite Turkey’s attempts to pass resolutions concerning Cyprus and the status of the ‘Turkish Muslim minority,’ official reservations were expressed by delegations from Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Bahrain. These countries criticized a resolution that portrayed a misleading image of Greece’s treatment of its Muslim minority and called for actions against Greece’s alleged human rights violations. This development is not unexpected, as Athens and Nicosia have systematically worked over recent years to ensure friendly Arab and Muslim countries understand Turkey’s efforts to weaponize the OIC against Cyprus and Greece, potentially harming their excellent relations with these nations and the European Union.