Organization of Turkic States can contribute to humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza: Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has met with his Kyrgyz counterpart Sadyr Japarov in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana.

“President (Erdogan), who is in Kazakhstan's capital Astana for the 10th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States, met with President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan,” the Turkish presidency said on X on Thursday.

During the meeting, Türkiye-Kyrgyzstan relations, the fight against terrorism, regional and global issues as well as the conflict between Israel-Palestine were discussed.

Erdogan highlighted that the international community's response to Israel's human rights violations against the people of Gaza is important and that the Organization of Turkic States can contribute to the path to humanitarian ceasefire and peace in the region.

The Turkish presidency later announced that Erdogan also met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

During the meeting, relations between the two countries as well as regional and global developments and the latest situation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were discussed.

Erdogan, for his part, stated that it is imperative for the international community to take effective steps to prevent human rights violations in Palestine and that Türkiye's peaceful efforts continue.

For global peace and regional stability, and to pave the way for humanitarian aid while enabling an immediate solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it would be useful to establish a guarantor mechanism with the participation of all relevant actors, Erdogan said.

Key regional issues

Earlier in the day, the Turkish president arrived in Astana, where he will attend the OTS summit on Friday and hold various bilateral meetings.

The OTS, formerly called the Turkic Council, was established in 2009 as an intergovernmental organisation made up of prominent independent Turkic countries that work together to elevate relations and union among themselves.

Its members are Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, while Hungary as well as Turkmenistan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus have observer status.

Last month, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended a meeting with the Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Turkic States at the Turkish House in New York.

During the meeting, they discussed regional matters, including the situation in Karabakh.

The top diplomats also discussed "Azerbaijan's anti-terror operation" and reviewed the preparations for the upcoming summit of the Organization of Turkic States, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Organization's relations with other international organisations, such as the UN General Assembly and OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation), and strengthening its institutional structure were also discussed during the meeting.