UPDATE - 'Balance of economic, political power shifting to Asia'

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS; CHANGES IN LEDE, DECK, HEADLINE AND BODY

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Times are changing and the balance of economic and political power is shifting towards Asia, a Pakistani lawmaker said on Friday at the 11th General Assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) in Istanbul.

“There is a historic, unique change taking place internationally and globally,” said Mushahid Hussain Sayed, a senator from Pakistan who has been elected co-chair of ICAPP.

“We are living in very transformative period. The balance of economic and political power is shifting from the West to the East … to Asia."

Türkiye’s Justice and Development (AK) Party is hosting the 11th General Assembly of ICAPP, which started on Thursday evening.

AK Party's foreign affairs chief Efkan Ala, who heads this year's event's organizing committee, was also elected ICAPP’s vice chairman for a two-year term.

Around 70 political parties from 33 Asian countries, including China, Pakistan, Indonesia, Cambodia, and South Korea, are attending the three-day event.

“We are talking of resurgence of Asia, rise of Asia,” said Sayed, quoting Pakistan’s national poet and philosopher Dr Muhammad Iqbal who had said: “See, the sun is rising in the East.”

“And in this shift, we are talking about the Asian century,” he added, lauding the role played by Türkiye in this regard.

Sayed described Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a “lion of Asia because he speaks for Asia … for the oppressed … whether it is (about) situation in Ukraine, whether it is (at) G20, whether it is (about) climate change, we see role of Türkiye is a leadership role."

The in-house meetings of ICAPP began early on Friday and Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay will address the official opening ceremony later in the day.

Party representatives and around 200 guests from international organizations will deliver speeches on “The Role of Political Parties in Strengthening Dialogue for Global Peace, Prosperity and Cooperation” and adopt declaration at the end of the conference.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy and Türkiye’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun will also address the participants.

The conference, held biannually, scheduled to be held in Türkiye two years ago, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The United Russia party had hosted the 10th General Assembly in Moscow in 2018.