Jordanian king first recipient of new global security prize

King Abdullah II of Jordan will be the first recipient of a new award established by Kazakhstan to honour contributions made to global security and nuclear disarmament, President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced yesterday.

Nazarbayev praised the king’s efforts that have made Jordan an “anchor of stability” in the Middle East. Abdullah will receive the inaugural prize next month in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana.

The prize acknowledges contributions made to global security, regional stability and nuclear non-proliferation by world leaders and organisations.

Kazakhstan’s territory was used for nuclear weapons testing during the Soviet era and the prize is seen as a point of closure of the test facility in Semipalatinsk.