Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that the international community should work to secure an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.

"The international community, including member countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), should work together to provide an immediate ceasefire in the region," Erdogan said before his departure for Malaysia to attend an urgent OIC meeting aimed at seeking a solution to an escalating crisis in the Middle East.

"Especially the EU and the United Nations should play a more active role to this end," Erdogan stressed.

"The crisis has been further deepening day by day," said the prime minister, adding "we should not allow this war to turn into a global crisis."

Erdogan said that Turkey has been making efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis before destruction reaches more serious dimensions.

"We are determined to fulfill our humanitarian and historical commitments," he said.

Malaysia has recently called for holding an emergency OIC summit in view of continued Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

Some 18 OIC member countries are expected to attend the meeting in Malaysia's administrative center of Putrajaya on Thursday.

Source: Xinhua