The conflict involving Iran, Israel and the U.S. threatens peace and stability across a wide region, including the geography of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said Thursday, warning that continued attacks on critical infrastructure and energy facilities could trigger irreversible consequences for the regional and global economy.
Yılmaz made the remarks in Baku, where he attended a meeting of prime ministers and vice presidents of member states of the OTS, during an official visit to Azerbaijan.
He said crises in the global system remain unresolved because of what he described as dysfunction and weakness in international mechanisms. He accused Israel of pursuing a strategy of gradually destabilizing the region through attacks first targeting Gaza, then Yemen and Lebanon, and most recently Iran.
“The conflict between Iran, Israel and the U.S. threatens the peace and stability of a broad region, including the geography of the Turkic states,” Yılmaz said.
He added that the ongoing war posed vital risks to energy routes, especially the Strait of Hormuz, as well as to global economic stability, with negative effects already being felt worldwide.
Yılmaz said any targeting of critical infrastructure and energy facilities would endanger both the region and the global economy. He also said Türkiye considered it unacceptable for regional countries to be targeted by Iran for any reason, renewing Ankara’s call for restraint by all sides.
“Since the beginning of the crisis, Türkiye has been trying to create ground for dialogue and has been conducting intense diplomatic efforts,” he said.
“Our expectation is that the clashes will end as soon as possible and that there will be a return to diplomacy.”
Yılmaz also said the ongoing war in the Gulf should not overshadow Israel’s continuing military actions in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Lebanon. He called on the Organization of Turkic States to intensify efforts in support of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to help secure the rights of the Palestinian people.
He said the group could also develop joint reconstruction projects for Gaza as a concrete expression of solidarity with Palestinians.
Turning to the war in Ukraine, Yılmaz said Türkiye wanted the conflict, now in its fifth year, to end as soon as possible and would continue contributing to efforts to secure a just and lasting peace based on international law.
He also welcomed what he called positive steps toward a lasting peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, saying a peace agreement between the two countries would strengthen stability and cooperation in the South Caucasus and boost interaction across the Turkic world.
Regional peace and stability in Turkic states, he said, are essential not only for prosperity but also for uninterrupted global trade and energy security.
