Palestine - The Times Of Central Asia

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Mirziyoyev Calls for Independent Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as Capital

Speaking at this week's summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Bishkek, Uzbekistan's president Shavkat Mirziyoyev has once again discussed the situation in the Middle East. Mirziyoyev noted that global geopolitical processes have become increasingly complex since the start of the war in the region. The atmosphere of competition and mistrust between countries is intensifying, the hotbeds of conflict and war are increasing, and various dangers are growing. "These problems are a severe obstacle to our joint plans and big projects in trade, investment, transport, energy, agriculture, and other fields; this is the truth," Mirziyoyev said. “It is, first and foremost, about the ongoing war in the Middle East and the double standards that we see. Nothing can justify the unprecedented humanitarian tragedy in Gaza and Lebanon, the devastating attacks against civilians, especially the death of innocent children, the elderly, and women. We strongly condemn the actions aimed at restricting the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. The only solution to this long-standing conflict is the establishment of an independent State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders, by international regulations and resolutions,” noted Mirziyoyev. He hoped the Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh next week would find a clear political solution to this problem. He also highlighted the importance of Afghanistan’s stability: “When it comes to security, we believe Afghanistan should always be at the focus of our Organization. In this regard, it is crucial to establish a regular dialogue mechanism at the ministerial and expert levels. We believe that the issues of providing support to de facto authorities in addressing acute problems in Afghanistan, integrating this country into regional economic processes, and implementing social and infrastructure projects should be considered.”

Palestine United Nations Foreign Policy UN General Assembly Global Diplomacy

Tajikistan’s Rahmon: No Military Solution to Palestinian Conflict

The President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, has said that the current situation in the Middle East proves that there is no military solution to the Palestinian conflict. Speaking at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Rahmon said that the Palestinian crisis is a deep concern among Tajikistan's people. “Tajikistan believes that the final and real solution of this issue is possible only by fulfilling the decisions of the United Nations on the creation of an independent Palestinian state based on the borders of 1967,” the Tajik leader said. He hopes the parties will stop fighting, work on peace talks, and take adequate measures to restore stability in Palestine. He added that Dushanbe supports global stability and socio-economic development in Afghanistan. “For this purpose, Tajikistan is always ready to contribute to restoring and developing various aspects of a peaceful life in Afghanistan,” Rahmon said. Rahmon called on the international community to help the “long-suffering people of Afghanistan, including those affected by natural disasters,” to prevent a humanitarian crisis. The Times of Central Asia has reported that Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov addressed the 79th session of the UN General Assembly and called on the world community to reduce weapons and international tension.

Security Palestine Protests

Central Asian Views on Pro-Palestinian Protests in the West

Pro-Palestinian protests erupted in university campuses and other locations worldwide in response to the ongoing conflict involving the Israeli Defense Forces and Palestinians in Gaza. European cities, including in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium, have been major flashpoints where, in some cases, the police resorted to using batons, shields and tear gas on protestors. In the U.S., The New York Times has reported on May 13 that since April 18, over 2,500 individuals had been arrested or detained at 54 college campuses nationwide. The increasingly violent nature of the protests causes alarm. A poll conducted by USA Today and Suffolk University, published on May 8, has revealed that almost 32% of Americans express "very concerned" sentiments about the potential for the protests to lead to violence, while slightly over 35% say they are "somewhat concerned". Some of the messaging coming out of the protests has also been characterized as antisemitic, leading to a congressional bill in the U.S. known as the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which aims to expand the legal definition of antisemitism to curb any speech that provokes violence. Free speech advocates, including some international human rights organizations, have challenged these measures. Remembering their own turbulent times, Central Asians generally support state measures to maintain order Central Asians' perspectives on the pro-Palestinian protests sweeping through Western cities, and the way various governments respond to them, are naturally influenced by their own historical and political contexts, shaped by decades of political transition and international rivalry. Emerging as new democracies just three decades ago, these nations have witnessed a tumultuous mix of violent power struggles among oligarchs, and intense competition from foreign actors vying for control over the region's abundant natural resources and strategic geopolitical position. At the same time, the region hosts a large Muslim population who may sympathize with the Palestinians, even though many do not know the history of the conflict in the Middle East, according to Daniyar Kumpekov, a 46-year-old economist in Kazakhstan. “The Arab-Israeli conflict is beyond the attention of most citizens,” says 21-year-old Kazakhstani student, Anar Zhakupova, adding that they are more concerned about the confrontation between Ukraine and Russia. In Kyrgyzstan, 29-year-old merchant, Dmitry Povolotsky, says that there were only small rallies in support of the Palestinians. There also seems to be a sense of skepticism towards the protests. Kumpekov, for instance, draws attention to a trend of “Islamization” in Kazakhstan’s society”. Mahmut Orozbayev, a Kyrgyz civil servant in his 50s, cautions about terrorist cells in the country, which, he says, “should be feared” from a security perspective. “We have a majority of Muslim citizens. They can gather and condemn Israel's actions. But all this [should be done] within the limits of what is permissible, so that there is no unrest,” he adds. According to Donokhon Ruziboyeva, an Uzbekistan resident in her 20s, pro-Palestinian protests raise awareness, but “they don’t stop the conflict in Palestine”. While the devastation in the Gaza Strip seen on social networks deeply moves Ruzboyeva,...

Refugees Palestine

28 Citizens of Kazakhstan Evacuated from Gaza Strip

According to the representative of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Egypt, 28 citizens of Kazakhstan have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip to Egypt. According to preliminary data, there are still estimated to be ten Kazakhstan nationals trapped there. “Regarding their evacuation, everything depends on the current military situation, and on whether they will be able to reach Egypt," said Sanjar Ualikhanov, Adviser to the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Egypt. Oksana Helles, a citizen of Kazakhstan who had been living in Palestine addressed the situation: “Recently, we had been living in the Gaza Strip. My husband is still there, and I take this opportunity to ask for help so that he can also come to me and reunite our family. He works as a doctor, and I also worked as a nurse. We had five children, and about two weeks ago my daughter was killed; she was 19-years-old and six months pregnant. She died along with her husband, his nephews and parents.” “I am a Palestinian, but I studied in Kazakhstan, graduated from a medical university there, and married a Kazakh, so I’m also a citizen of Kazakhstan,” said another evacuee, Elyanakh Akhmet. “Since the war began, it’s been a frightening ordeal for us. We had been building our lives for so many years, and everything was destroyed in an instant.” All the evacuees expressed their great gratitude to the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Egypt, and asked for further help.