By: Filisteen Al-Remawi
RAMALLAH, December 6, 2012 (WAFA) – Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the state of Palestine, Bulat Sarsenbayev, Thursday told WAFA that Palestine has the right to address the international Criminal Court (ICC).
During a celebration on the occasion of 21st anniversary of independence of Republic of Kazakhstan in Ramallah, attended by PLO Executive Committee member Taysir Khalid, media representatives, diplomats and other Palestinian key officials, Sarsenbayev told WAFA: “Palestine has the right to address this international body… it's Palestine’s decision. We support the independence of Palestine.”
The Ambassador stressed Palestine's right to independence and the friendly long-term relationship between the two countries and that’s why they sponsored and voted in favor of the resolution at United Nations.
He said that Kazakhstan “considered Palestine as a state long time ago,” since they established diplomatic relations 20 years back. “Diplomatic relations are established only between states.”
“We also voted in favor of Palestine at UNESCO and our position at the UN was expected,” said Sarsenbayev.
He said that both countries will work further on promoting the bilateral relations and they will work on their agenda, which includes “establishing intergovernmental joint committee on economic cultural educational cooperation and establishing a business council between the two businesses.”
He added that “we have to work hard as there are a lot of obstacles.”
Sarsenbayev offered President of the state of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas his warmest congratulations on behalf of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on the occasion of upgrading Palestine’s status in UN.
On his part, Khalid said “on behalf of President Abbas, we congratulate Kazakh government and people on the occasion of their 21st anniversary of independence and it’s our pleasure to celebrate this day with you.”
He thanked the Republic of Kazakhstan for its continuing support of Palestine and expressed hope that “an embassy of Kazakhstan will be opened soon in Ramallah, temporally, and later in East Jerusalem, Palestine’s capital.”
