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Kazinform, 21 February 2018

Kazakhstan's delegation led by First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tleuberdi participated in the UN Security Council meeting on the Situation in the Middle East, Kazinform cites the Kazakh Foreign Ministry's press service. The open briefing was organized under Kuwait's Presidency over the UN Security Council. UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process Nikolay Mladenov, and President of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas addressed the meeting. Mukhtar Tleuberdi called on Israel and Palestine to return to the negotiating table so that to reach a solution under international law. The Kazakh side reiterated its stance on supporting the right of Palestine to independence and Israel's right to security. Mukhtar Tleuberdi also urged the parties to preserve the historic status quo of Jerusalem in line with the international agreements reached earlier. Kazakhstan called for restoring confidence between the parties and starting negotiations to reach agreement on outstanding issues and grant them with the so-called "final status". António Guterres reiterated the United Nations' commitment to supporting the parties in their efforts to achieve a two-state solution, i.e. peaceful co-existence of the two independent states of Israel and Palestine within the 1967 borders. In particular, he expressed his apprehension that the global consensus on a two-state solution could collapse after decades of support. In their speeches, the UN Security Council Members expressed their commitment to peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and peaceful coexistence of the two neighboring states. Thanking Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas for his participation in the briefing, the head of the Kazakh delegation shared the concerns on the future of a two-state solution, and the funding gap of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).