19 January 2024 14:50

On 19 January 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov, participated and delivered an address at the 19th Summit Meeting of the Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) held in Kampala, the capital of the Republic of Uganda.

Delivering an opening statement at the Summit Meeting in the capacity of the Chair of NAM, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov noted that after Azerbaijan assumed the chairmanship of the Movement 4 years ago, it successfully chaired NAM during an extremely complex period for the system of international relations and took substantive and institutional measures to increase the effectiveness of the Movement in addressing existing challenges.

Subsequently, the agenda of the 19th Summit Meeting of the Movement was adopted.

In accordance with the agenda of the Summit Meeting, a video reflecting the successful activities and initiatives of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Ilham Aliyev, as the Chair of NAM was presented, and thereafter the address of Minister Jeyhun Bayramov on the results of Azerbaijan’s chairmanship of the Movement was heard.

Minister Jeyhun Bayramov noted that the extension of Azerbaijan’s chairmanship, which assumed the chairmanship of the Movement in 2019, for an additional one year in 2022 by the unanimous decision of the member states is a manifestation of the trust and confidence shown to our country, and stated that during its chairmanship Azerbaijan built its activities on the basis of the historic Bandung Principles. In this direction, it was pointed out that Azerbaijan took practical measures to ensure flexibility in the coordination of NAM’s activities, and as a result of the work carried out, hundreds of statements, communiqués and declarations were agreed, and resolutions put forward by the members of the Movement in various international organizations, including the United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council, were adopted.

Despite the coincidence of our chairmanship with the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was noted that the initiatives put forward, particularly the initiative to convene a special session of the United Nations General Assembly on the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic proposed by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Ilham Aliyev, in the capacity of the Chair of NAM, and the promotion of ensuring access to vaccines created new opportunities for cooperation within the Movement.

It was stated that the establishment of the Parliamentary Network and the Youth Organization of the Movement, as well as the steps taken to lay the foundation of the Women’s Platform during our chairmanship are of significant importance from the point of view of the institutional development of NAM.

At the same time, it was emphasized that the increase in the number of members of the Movement, the expansion of NAM’s cooperation with other international organizations, the support for the candidacies of member states of the Movement in the elective bodies of international organizations, and the implementation of initiatives aimed at the development of NAM members are also among the achievements of our chairmanship.

It was underscored that Azerbaijan will continue to spare no efforts for the development of the Movement and will continue to contribute to the activities of NAM, particularly within the framework of the troika of the Movement’s chairmanship.

The NAM member states participating in the event appreciated Azerbaijan’s successful 4-year chairmanship of the Movement, and highly evaluated the steps taken particularly towards the institutionalization of the institution and the work carried out in the field of combating COVID-19 during the pandemic period.

The Final Document adopted at the Summit Meeting reflected provisions corresponding to the interests of our country, and the hosting by Azerbaijan of the next Meeting of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) was unanimously welcomed by the NAM member states.

Subsequently, the chairmanship of NAM was handed over by Azerbaijan to Uganda, and the Summit Meeting continued under the chairmanship of the President of the Republic of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni.