Mahathir's Muslim summit turns Malaysia-Saudi ties bitter

The kingdom may cut hajj pilgrimage quotas for Malaysians in retaliation

20191223 Mahathir KL summit

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad delivers a speech at the Kuala Lumpur Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Dec. 19. © AP

P PREM KUMAR, Nikkei staff writer

KUALA LUMPUR -- A meeting of Muslim countries hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has strained Malaysia's cordial ties with Saudi Arabia and its allies, who complained the Kuala Lumpur Summit 2019 undermines the Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Saudi Arabia was particularly angered by presence at the forum of some of the kingdom's fiercest critics, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Hamad Al Thani and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

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