Italian media: Central Asian Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are invited to the US G20 summit next year, Vietnam joins the Gaza "Peace Committee", strengthening Hanoi's alliance with Trump

Vietnam's leaders have pledged to support efforts by all parties to seek a peaceful solution for the Gaza Strip. He promised to "cooperate closely" with former enemies in "all areas" according to "needs and priorities". Among the Central Asian countries, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have also joined the committee.

Hanoi (Asia News) - Vietnam is one of the first countries to enthusiastically accept the invitation and confirm its participation in the Gaza Peace Committee, which marks the resumption of Vietnam's global strategic partnership with U.S. President Donald Trump. Vietnam has joined the Gaza Peace Committee, which was called for by President Trump, and this is a key measure of the second phase of the peace plan. Hanoi uses this opportunity to strengthen its alliance with Washington. Recently, the Vietnamese national leader formally announced this decision and confirmed that he will "support" and "contribute" to "efforts by all sides" to resolve "conflicts and disputes" in a "peaceful way".

On January 16th, U.S. President Trump wrote to the Hanoi leader, inviting the Vietnamese leader to join the Peace Committee as a founding member of the Gaza Strip. According to Vietnamese media that reported widely on the matter, the Vietnamese leader accepted the invitation happily, considering the establishment of the "Peace Committee" as a "necessary" step to end the conflict, in line with the resolution passed by the UN Security Council in November. The UN Secretary-General stated that the goal is to advance peacebuilding, humanitarian aid, and post-conflict reconstruction in the Gaza Strip.

Based on this, the Vietnamese leader has pledged to fully cooperate with the United States (former adversaries) and the international community "closely" to ensure "substantial contributions" to a "long-term and comprehensive" solution for the Middle East peace process. He also reiterated the need to establish an "independent" Palestinian state that can coexist peacefully with Israel. At this opportunity, the Hanoi leader finally called for strengthening the global strategic partnership with the White House and "strengthening cooperation in all areas according to the needs and priorities of both sides".

The controversial Gaza Peace Committee is expected to include Russian President Vladimir Putin. He and the heads of state and government of another 60 countries received invitations, at least 20 of which have signed the agreement. These countries include Israel, Egypt, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. Although some Western diplomats expressed doubt and concern, the main one being that the committee itself may weaken the work of the United Nations.

However, the plan is rapidly advancing. Just this morning, at the economic forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump signed the charter of the Peace Committee and invited representatives from the 20 countries that have joined so far to take the stage. In the Asian continent, there are two Central Asian countries - Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan - present and strongly supported. Trump has invited the leaders of the two countries to attend the G20 summit scheduled for December next year. Kazakhstan is an important energy exporter, borders China, and has oil pipelines to Europe; while Uzbekistan is the most populous country in the region. In addition, last year, Trump personally hosted the leaders of the five Central Asian countries, trying to counter China and Russia.

With the large number of Asian countries attending, the absence of the Palestinian delegation is particularly noticeable - the people of the country are directly involved in the conflict and are committed to achieving long-term peace. The presence of Turkey and Qatar obviously cannot compensate for this absence, although many diplomats and representatives from the Arab world assured us that they - as well as Saudi Arabia and the UAE - are attending to defend and support the Palestinian cause.

Yesterday, an unnamed Arab figure told the Israeli Times that Israel refuses to recognize the existence of the Palestinian Authority, which is why Doha and Ankara filled this gap. On the other hand, other Arab countries, such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia, seem more willing to participate in affairs in Gaza and invest, although these issues remain controversial. The diplomat said that in fact, Riyadh strongly opposes Israel holding back over $4 billion in taxes from the Palestinian Authority, partly because Saudi Arabia was asked to help cover part of the loss.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has rarely and publicly opposed Trump's decision, criticizing the decision to include Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari senior diplomat Ali Al-Sawadi in the Gaza Executive Committee, considering that these two countries have too close relations with Hamas. However, the United States considers them "crucial" for ultimately reaching a ceasefire agreement in October and will continue to take "necessary" measures to ensure the unity of armed groups in Gaza. Meanwhile, according to a joint statement by foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, and the UAE, these countries will also nominate a representative.

Source: Asia News

Original: toutiao.com/article/1855127162260619/

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