10th summit of Organization of Turkic States starts in Kazakhstan

The 10th summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) started in Kazakhstan's capital Astana on Friday.

According to the press service of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, also attending the event are the leaders of Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

The summit started with a meeting of the group's Council of Foreign Ministers where Kazakhstan's top diplomat Murat Nurtleu expressed concern over the situation in the Gaza Strip and urged the opening of humanitarian corridors.

"Our country is very concerned about the escalation of violence in the Middle East. We join the cooperation with the international community and call for an immediate cease-fire. The opening of humanitarian corridors for the people of Gaza is a priority task of Kazakhstan's diplomacy," he stressed.

The foreign minister urged both sides focus on peace talks.

The leaders of the Organization of Turkic States member states will meet later. At the end of the summit, Kazakhstan is expected to pass on the group's chairmanship to Uzbekistan.