Baku, TurkicWorld
The Doctors Without Borders (MSF) medical charity claimed Wednesday that Israel had "instrumentalized humanitarian needs" in Gaza, with its decision to halt aid and cut electricity into the Palestinian territory, TurkicWorld reports citing Al-Awsat.
"Israeli authorities are yet again normalizing the use of aid as a negotiation tool," MSF emergency coordinator Myriam Laaroussi said in a statement.
"This is outrageous. Humanitarian aid should never be used as a bargaining chip in war."
Israel halted aid deliveries to war-torn Gaza after a deadlock over a fragile ceasefire, which since January 19 has reduced hostilities after more than 15 months of relentless fighting.
And ahead of a current round of talks in Doha, Israel on Sunday halted the supply of electricity to the territory's only desalination plant, in a move Hamas condemned as "cheap and unacceptable blackmail.”
Describing the move as "collective punishment,” MSF demanded that Israel "end this inhumane blockade of the Strip.”
It warned that with the suspension of electricity supply, the water desalination plant in Khan Yunis in the south of the territory had already run out of fuel.
The Deserts of Turan and the Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor, the arts of silk weaving, ceramics, playing rubab, and iftar traditions, as well as the “Chancellery of the Bukhara Emirate”, the “Turkestan Album”, and the “Photo Album of Khudoybergan Devonov”, have been included in UNESCO’s special lists.
It is worth noting that this year, Samarkand will host the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference. This will be the first time in 40 years that the session will be held outside the organization’s headquarters in Paris, and it will coincide with UNESCO’s 80th anniversary.
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay praised the fruitful cooperation with Uzbekistan and expressed gratitude to the President of Uzbekistan for the extensive preparations for the upcoming event.
Agreements were reached on further expanding practical cooperation programs and continuing close collaboration in organizing forums and events on the sidelines of the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference.
