In an exclusive conversation with Firstpost’s Bhagyasree Sengupta, Dr Shahin shared her expectations from her maiden India visit, her take on the Trump-led board of peace and the changing dynamics of West Asia.
With the hopes for peace and reconstruction of a sovereign
Palestinian State in mind, Dr Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine, is currently on her first visit to India. Interacting with journalists in New Delhi on Thursday, she called for speedier realisation of Palestinian statehood to free the region from war and
military tension.
Speaking to Firstpost, she also recalled how the
India-Palestine relationship goes back decades, and lauded New Delhi for supporting the two-state solution and the rights of self-determination of the Palestinian people. She also emphasised that India can bring in a balance between Israel and Palestine, saying, “New Delhi is for the international law.”
In an exclusive conversation with Firstpost’s Bhagyasree Sengupta, Dr Shahin shared her expectations from her maiden India visit, her take on the Trump-led board of peace and the changing dynamics of
West Asia.
Expectations from the India visit
While talking about her first visit to India, Dr Shahin lauded the Indian democracy. “This is the first visit to a great country and a great people and a great democracy and a country that promotes peace and has been a two-state supporter for a long time and has been
supportive of the plight of the Palestinians in international forums,” she said.
Dr Shahin also shared her expectations from the India visit. “My expectation is simple, to continue to do so in line with a vision for peace that would take us from where we are today to a sovereign State of Palestine,” she exclaimed.
On the Board of Peace
While many have pushed the idea of a US-led board of peace, some nations rejected US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join the board. Some also questioned the objectivity of the body given Israel’s inclusion in it. However, the Palestinian diplomat had a clear vision towards the board.
“Well, my hopes from the
Board of Peace are peace and a path that would take me towards that peace as stipulated in the UN Security Council Resolution 3802. That’s how I envisage the Board of Peace. Now, if other countries are seeing what has presented as problematic, they need to continue discussing to ensure that the Board of Peace meets their expectations,” Dr Shahin told Firstpost.
Disarmament continues to remain a contentious issue when it comes to the Trump-backed ceasefire deal. While Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu remained insistent that Hamas has to disarm, the Palestinian militant group have been reluctant to do so.
“Netanyahu would continue putting all sorts of impediments because, truly, he does not want to stop this war, nor to have any sort of peace, nor to leave Gaza, nor to end the occupation. He wants to continue with the annexation and to create this greater Israel that he envisages,” Dr Shahin told Firstpost.
“We need to ensure that Netanyahu commits to his part of the commitments and all other signatories to the peace plan commit to what they have committed to. We ask that Hamas look at the interests of the National Palestinian Project and do whatever it takes to ensure the oneness and the integrity of the State of Palestine,” she said.
Asked about her vision for the State of Palestine, the Palestinian diplomat said, “I think, to me as a Palestinian, I want to get rid of this occupation, and I want to garner the support of the world. And the world needs to respect that.”
“The way I see that materialising as a State of Palestine is through the New York Declaration, which is very clear about what needs to happen for peace to materialise and for the Palestinian State to materialise,” she said.
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