Topic: Ensuring Stability in Kyrgyzstan
Country: Malaysia
Delegate Name: John Kim
School: Forest Hills Northern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Malaysia position papers GLIMUN 2010 committees
Violence in Kyrgyzstan recently elevated in June and at least 400 people were killed in the conflict between the majority Kyrgyz and the minority Uzbeks. Tens of thousands of Uzbeks fled from their homes and about 2,000 houses were destroyed by arson. Conflict could break out again at any moment due to the rigid tensions between the two ethnic groups. The government cannot resolve the conflict between the two groups because the two groups cannot agree on terms for peace due to distrust within the Kyrgyzstan government. The People of Kyrgyzstan adopted a new constitution in late June 2010 which set up the first parliamentary democracy in Central Asia but the Uzbeks criticized the vote due to thousands of them still being in mourning and most likely not voting. Without the support of the Uzbeks, the government will likely create even more conflict in the future.
With over a decade of conflict between the Kyrgyz and the Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan, the country of Kyrgyzstan has requested help from the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr. Mahathir. Dr. Mahathir is highly respected within the Muslim community and he is well known within Kyrgyzstan because of a visit he made to the land-locked country in 1996 and 1997. Dr. Mahathir was the one who convinced the first president of Kyrgyzstan to open a Kyrgyzstan embassy within Malaysia in 1997.
The Kyrgyzstan ambassador in Malaysia, Bakir Uulu Tursunbay said that Dr. Mahathir, who served as the Prime minister for 22 years and chairman for the Perdana Global Peace Organization, has the necessary abilities and experience to help mediate between the two ethnic groups. Bakir believes that Dr. Mahathir would be accepted and would aid in the settling of the conflict because he would be an un-biased third person mediator. Bakir has sent an invitation for Dr. Mahathir to come to Kyrgyzstan and hopes that Dr. Mahathir will accept his invitation.
The Federation of Malaysia wishes to help mediate the conflict between the Kyrgyz and the Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan. We wish to help the Kyrgyz Republic to achieve peace after all of the conflict which has devastated the country. Kyrgyzstan and our country has had diplomatic ties since 1992, a year after the republic gained independence after the fall of the Soviet Union so we are ready to help Kyrgyzstan in their mission for peace. The Federation of Malaysia will do all that it can to help its political ally. With the help of our Dr. Mahathir, hopefully peace will finally be accomplished and maintained within Kyrgyzstan.
