By R.Ravichandran
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 (NNN-BERNAMA) — The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), with 120 members, is a movement with a promising prospect for economic cooperation, said Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan for Public and Political Issues Ali Hasanov.
Hasanov said currently, 55 per cent of the world’s population lives in NAM member countries, and more than 75 per cent of the world’s oil reserves and 50 per cent of the natural gas reserves are also in these countries.
In an article he wrote on his Facebook page reported by Trend News Agency, Hasanov said that the recently-concluded 18th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of NAM in Baku is a political event that is very important for Azerbaijan and the region.
“Along with 120 member countries of NAM, the participation of 10 authoritative international institutions such as the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and 17 observer states, shows that this organisation is a very serious collaboration platform of global importance. In terms of membership, the NAM is a major international structure in the world after the United Nations,” Hasanov noted.
Hasanov also said that Azerbaijan’s chairmanship in the NAM for 2019-2022 will further strengthen the role and authority of the country in global processes, strengthen its position at the international level, contribute to its economic development, and open up great opportunities for the development of the non-oil sector and export potential.
“One of the increasing the importance of NAM is the complete coincidence of this organisation’s principles with the country’s foreign policy priorities. The movement demonstrates an unequivocal position on the territorial integrity of states and supports the fundamental principles of international law,” he said.
NAM, which had its first summit in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1961, was formed at the height of the Cold War as an independent path in international politics for those countries wishing to be free from the influence of superpowers – led by the Soviet Union and the United States at that time – and not becoming pawns in their ideological rivalry.
Hasanov explained that from the first days of Azerbaijan’s membership in the Movement, the organisation had unanimously supported the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of Azerbaijan’s internationally -recognised borders.
“All adopted documents call for the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict precisely on the basis of these principles. This fact was also reflected in the final document adopted at the meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement in July 2019. As a result, 120 countries of the world, that is, approximately two-thirds of all countries, expressed support for Azerbaijan’s fair position,” Hasanov said.
The conflict between the two countries started in 1988 – three years before the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 – following Armenia’s territorial claims against Azerbaijan. And in 1992, war broke out between the two former Soviet states, resulting in Armenia’s occupation of 20 per cent of Azerbaijan’s territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts. All these areas are internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan.
Hasanov said that the basis for all the positive results achieved is following a strategic decision made by Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev back in 2011 on the country’s membership in the Non-Aligned Movement.
“This decision, which significantly increased the number of countries in the UN General Assembly and other international organisations supporting the fair position of Azerbaijan, created new opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation in the political, economic, humanitarian and other fields”.
“The unanimous support by the Heads of State and Government of the NAM on Azerbaijan’s election as the chair for a period of three years at the Baku Summit is, of course, another success of the far-sighted policy of President Ilham Aliyev and is a proof of confidence in him in the world,” Hasanov said.
Hasanov explained that using international platforms that play an important role in determining world politics and agendas, President Aliyev brings the realities of Azerbaijan to the attention of the world community, seeks to increase the number of states defending the fair position of the country, as well as turn Azerbaijan into a field for international cooperation where global issues are discussed, and step by step brings Azerbaijan closer to its strategic goals.
This article was originally published in NNNA on October 29, 2019.
*Opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of UMMnews.
