The PABSEC Participation in the 18th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement, Baku, 25-26 October 2019
The 18th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement was held in Baku on 25-26 October 2019 upon the invitation of the Republic of Azerbaijan, who assumes the Presidency in this Organization for the next three years (2019-2022). At this event, the PABSEC was represented by Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General.
The Opening Ceremony was addressed by Mr. Nicholas Maduro, President of the Non-Aligned Movement and President of Venezuela, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Mr. Tijani Muhammad-Bande, President of the UN General Assembly. Mr. Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation sent the message to the participants and guests of the Summit.
The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is an international organization uniting the states that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc and that uphold peaceful coexistence of peoples, based on the principles of independence and equality, implying non-participation of these states in any military alliances. The Non-Aligned Movement is the second largest organization after the UN, which brings together 120 countries (55 percent of the world population). These states possess more than 75 percent of oil and more than 50 percent of the natural gas reserves, as well as the largest human and natural resources.
The Summit was attended by the delegations from 158 countries and international organizations. About 60 countries were represented at the level of heads of state and government. The theme of the Summit was “Upholding the Bandung Principles to Ensure Concerted and Adequate Response to the Challenges of Contemporary World”. The problems of the member states of the Organization, as well as topical issues of cooperation in the field of economy, energy security, environmental protection, healthcare, labour and development of transport corridors were discussed.
In his speech, Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, noted the importance of the Black Sea region in world politics and touched upon the pressing issues that are being discussed within the framework of the PABSEC. He highlighted the refugee problem faced by the countries of the BSEC region and said that the PABSEC adopted relevant recommendations addressed to the parliaments and governments of the BSEC Member States. The Secretary General noted that the refugee problem strongly affects the economic development of the countries and the region as a whole, and that it is necessary to join efforts and together solve the problems for ensuring peace and prosperity for present and future generations.
At the end of the Summit, the Baku Final Outcome Document and the Baku Declaration were adopted.