ALMATY: President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Monday said that the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 36,400 Palestinians since October, has reached catastrophic levels.
Tokayev made the remarks during a meeting with the heads of parliament of Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states in Almaty, according to a presidential statement.
He added that almost all major global organizations have called the humanitarian situation in Palestine unacceptable. In fact, it is approaching catastrophic levels, he warned.
Tokayev said the scale of threats to the security of the region has significantly expanded.
He said the situation in the Middle East is a grave concern, saying that hundreds of people continue to die and seriously wounded in the Gaza Strip every day.
He reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s position regarding the creation of a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem based on a two-state solution.
The president welcomed the adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution recognizing the right of Palestinians to membership in the global body.
Tokayev during the meeting also addressed the situation in Afghanistan, saying that one of the current strategic tasks at hand is the active involvement of the war-torn country in interregional ties.
He said Kazakhstan removed the Taliban regime from its terrorist list, based on the importance of developing economic and trade cooperation with modern Afghanistan and the understanding that this regime is a long-term factor.
He noted the coordinated position of CSTO member countries on this matter, calling for support of Kazakhstan’s initiative to establish a UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
Kazakhstan in December removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations in accordance with UN practice, and to promote bilateral contacts.
