Türkiye calls for united Turkic voice against Israel's atrocities in Gaza

Türkiye's foreign minister has urged all Turkic nations to raise their voices and take concrete steps against Israeli atrocities in the Gaza Strip.

"I call on all our brothers in the Turkic world to raise their voices more against the atrocities in Gaza and to take more concrete steps to end this oppression," Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday at the first Meeting of Chairpersons of the National Defense Commissions of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States.

Fidan advocated for "a two-state solution" with the recognition of the Palestinian state as essential for sustainable peace in Gaza, criticising Western silence and "inadequate" international responses to the humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave.

"The risk of the conflict's geographical spread and social escalation increases with each passing day," he warned.

The top diplomat noted the "concrete steps" Ankara took towards urging Israel to end the conflict, terminating bilateral trade and moving to intervene in the case opened by the Republic of South America against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

"There is only one way to prevent the further violation of all kinds of human rights and international law principles and to not tolerate it: increasing international pressure on Israel in every area."

Ukraine, defence cooperation

Addressing Wednesday's event, Fidan also reaffirmed Türkiye’s support for "Ukraine's sovereignty" and its ongoing efforts to mediate and achieve a "peaceful resolution in the Black Sea" by bringing the warring parties together.

The minister also stressed the need for the Turkic world to cooperate and integrate with defence and security, transforming the region into a "corridor of prosperity and stability" like other areas.

"Türkiye has always been ready to provide all kinds of support to the brotherly Turkic states in the field of defence industry cooperation."

He underscored the desire to take steps toward defence cooperation that would contribute to the prosperity of all countries in the region, from Türkiye to Central Asia, including conflicts like "terrorism, migration, and border security" in Afghanistan, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.

"We are in a period when Asia continues to rise, and the importance of the Turkic geography increases day by day. As a result, we observe that the interest of actors outside the region in our geography is also increasing," he said.

Support for Azerbaijan, TRNC

The Turkish minister also reiterated his country's full support for Azerbaijan, particularly in the context of the Karabakh conflict and recent positive developments.

He expressed optimism that a final peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia would benefit not only the two countries but the entire region.

Fidan also underscored the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)'s integration into the Turkic world and participation in TÜRKPA and TDT (Organization of Turkic States) activities.