'We will work with all our strength to make coming period the Century of Turkic World': Turkish president

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said that "we will work with all our strength to make the upcoming period the Century of the Turkic World."

"We have come to this day by overcoming obstacles, but we still have a long way to go," Erdogan said in his address to the 11th Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS).

He also expressed hope that Azerbaijan’s gains in the field will be consolidated on the table by signing a peace agreement.

In 1991, the Armenian military had occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Azerbaijan has established full sovereignty in Karabakh in September 2023, following an "anti-terrorist operation" after which separatist forces in the region surrendered.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have yet to sign peace treaties and normalize ties.

Regarding Israel’s aggression on Palestinian territories, he said that the international community is failing badly in stopping a genocide occurring in the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in Gaza.

Türkiye does not accept this "atrocity" and "inhuman massacre," in Gaza, the Turkish president said, urging the Turkic world to take a "decisive" stance.

Israel has continued a devastating offensive on Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas, killing nearly 43,400 people and rendering the enclave almost uninhabitable.