'Fate of world's Muslims not in hands of 5 countries'

By Gozde Bayar

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AA) – The fate of the world's 1.7 billion Muslims is no longer in the hands of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Kuala Lumpur Summit in the Malaysian capital, Erdogan reiterated that the world is bigger than five, referring to the five permanent UN Security Council members, whose veto power could prove catastrophic for smaller nations.

"The world is bigger than five" is a famous slogan repeatedly used by Erdogan to criticize the permanent council members -- China, France, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S.

Erdogan also said that Turkey did not bow to pressure to silence it, including a coup attempt, economic terror and slander.

“As they try to silence Turkey, we insist on calling attention to Palestine, Gaza, the Rohingya, Libya, Somalia and Syria,” he stressed.

At the opening ceremony, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as well as the host, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, delivered speeches.

Hundreds of government officials, businessmen, representatives of civil societies and experts from different sectors across the Muslim world are taking part in the summit.