Topic: Ensuring Stability in Kyrgyzstan
Country: Argentina
Delegate Name: Blythe Bugg
School: Mattawan High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Argentina position papers GLIMUN 2010 committees
In June 2010, hostility in southern Kyrgyzstan escalated and at least four hundred civilians were murdered. The cause of the event came after anti-government protests in April turned into uncontrollable acts of violence and lead to more than eighty killed, hundreds wounded, and the removal of newly elected President Kurmanbek Bakiyev after being accused of rigging his 2009 election. Former foreign minister, Roza Otunbayeva, temporarily took over and, in late June, outlined a new constitution to put forth the first parliamentary democracy in Central Asia and assured civilians of a new election in the months to come.
In the south, tens of thousands of Uzbeks left their houses behind, and approximately two thousand homes were demolished by arson. Kyrgyz military and police kept checkpoints in place around Osh as the riots settled down, but Uzbeks felt they were being continually hassled. This continued feeling of hatred between the two ethnic groups will only intensify if no agreement can be achieved between them.
Although Argentina is impartial towards the current Kyrgyzstan conflict, Argentina has been involved with humanitarian services in the past and is more than willing to assist now. Argentina currently holds a spot on the UN Human Rights Council, is assisting Haiti with more than 700 troops through MINUSTAH, and has repeatedly reinforced UN diplomacy, which reveals its ongoing commitment to peacekeeping. Argentina wishes no more than to see a nonviolent environment in Kyrgyzstan between the Kyrgyz and Uzbeks. The Argentine Republic strongly believes that in order for Kyrgyzstan to maintain stability, it is essential for both Uzbeks and Kyrgyz to reestablish affiliations with one another. Without doing so, no solution can be achieved between the two ethnic groups and the situation could spiral into genocide.
The discord between the Uzbeks and Kyrgyz has affected almost half a million people. In June, the UN proposed a Flash Appeal for $96.4 million in hopes of helping the refugees of Kyrgyzstan. Argentina feels that it will take more than the giving of money to settle the grievances of these two distinct groups and bring them together as a peaceful country of Kyrgyz and Uzbeks.
