King ‘a worthy first recipient’ of Kazakh prize on nuclear disarmament efforts, paper says

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah is a “worthy first recipient of the Nazarbayev Prize” for contributions to nuclear disarmament and security, a Kazakh paper has said.

In an editorial published on Saturday, The Astana Times biweekly said “there are obvious reasons for why King Abdullah deserves this recognition”. 

“His contributions include his policy of sheltering... Syrian refugees in Jordan and his ambition to turn the Middle East into a zone of peace, including through the establishment of a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the region,” the paper added. 

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has named King Abdullah as the first recipient of the Nazarbayev Prize for a Nuclear Weapon Free World and Global Security.

The editorial also cites Jordan’s efforts in the fight against Daesh.

“Jordan has also actively promoted international efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and ensure nuclear energy is used for peaceful purposes,” the paper added, highlighting the Kingdom’s ratification of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism and its establishment of a Counter Nuclear Smuggling Team.

“In a region that has become synonymous with turbulence, Jordan has been an anchor of stability that has continued to pursue good and constructive relations with all its neighbours,” the editorial said.

Kazakhstan, it added, became a global leader in nuclear weapons non-proliferation after shutting down the Soviet Union’s test site near Semipalatinsk in 1991 and renouncing the world’s fourth largest nuclear arsenal. 

His Majesty is scheduled to receive the prize on November 16 in Astana during a gala ceremony, according to the biweekly. 

“Jordan should feel proud of its accomplishments and its peaceful ambitions for the Middle East... Jordan serves as a role model for all the other states in the Middle East,” the editorial said.