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.”

Kazakhstan: Tokayev Delivers Address to the Nation

A new political season has started in Kazakhstan. Following tradition, it opened with a joint session of the chambers of Kazakhstan's parliament, at which the head of state, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, delivered his regular Address to the Nation, this year entitled: Fair Kazakhstan: Law and Order, Economic Growth, Social Optimism. As predicted by State Counselor, Yerlan Karin, the president's new address contained over a hundred initiatives, instructions, and proposals that “develop the line of reforms laid out in his previous messages and election platform.” Tokayev began his address by mentioning the parliament's adoption of 102 laws in the previous session, including norms on public control, countering human trafficking, science and technology policy, heat and energy, etc. Social issues, especially child protection, remain a top priority and whilst many systematic steps have been taken to improve people's welfare, the president emphasized that much work lay ahead. “The people of Kazakhstan today live in a completely new political reality," he stated. "Over the past five years, large-scale reforms have been implemented; the political system has radically transformed. Fundamental changes are taking place in public consciousness; the level of legal culture of citizens is increasing, and new models of behavior and new values are taking root in society. The renewal of political and public life, as well as the mentality and cultural norms of the nation, has begun. The construction of "Fair Kazakhstan" is underway, and what is especially important is that all this fully corresponds to the people's aspirations. Therefore, we will continue to follow our course steadfastly and not turn off the path." Expanding on how the past five years have changed the country, Tokayev explained, "Since 2021, about 2.5 thousand akims of villages have been elected, which is ninety percent of the total number of heads of rural settlements. In the remaining villages, elections will be held after the expiration of the terms of office of their akims. The average age of newly elected akims is 46 years. Sixty percent will have no previous experience of working in public service, and their number includes entrepreneurs and members of various parties. The corps of akims elected by the people has been largely renewed." The head of state recalled that in the fall of last year, Kazakhstan began to hold elections for the first time for akims of districts and cities of regional significance. Under the new rules, 45 akims were elected in all oblasts. According to the president, the latest election system will go even further. “After a comprehensive study of the election results and analysis of the work of elected akims, it was decided to finally switch to the new system from next year. In the future, akims of districts and regional cities will be elected only through direct elections, which will be held as the powers (i.e., rotation terms) of incumbent akims expire,” Tokayev emphasized, calling it another essential step in the transformation of the political system and stressing that if required for the development of the state, reforms will...