The establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Parliamentary Network, initiated by Azerbaijan’s president, should be considered one of the contributions of the country as the chair of this influential international organization to strengthening relations between the member states in all directions, Azerbaijani MP Soltan Mammadov told News.Az.

He noted that the establishment of such a network will increase the role of legislative bodies in the organization and allow them to play an active part in issues related to the common interests of the member states.

The Azerbaijani lawmaker pointed out that the Non-Aligned Movement, the second largest political institution after the UN General Assembly, has a significant role in the system of international relations.  

“More than 55 percent of the world’s population are citizens of the NAM member states. The agreement position within the NAM is of great importance in terms of influencing the decision-making process at the UN General Assembly. Thus, the initiatives Azerbaijan put forward during its chairmanship of the organization are aimed at solving global problems,” he added.

MP Mammadov stressed that the decision to extend Azerbaijan’s three-year chairmanship, which was due to end in 2022, by the end of 2023 testifies to Azerbaijan’s successful fulfillment of its mission.

“As far as is known, Azerbaijan has come up with several important initiatives before. The UN Human Rights Council unanimously adopted the resolution "Ensuring equal, affordable, timely and universal access to vaccines against COVID-19", initiated by Azerbaijan and put forward on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. In December 2020, the UN General Assembly held the NAM-initiated special session on the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 4, 2020, Azerbaijan organized a virtual summit of the NAM Contact Group in response to COVID-19,” he said.

The MP noted that the establishment of the Parliamentary Network will open a new page in the organization’s history and become an important platform for strengthening cooperation among the legislatures of the member states.  

He recalled that the decision was made to hold the next meeting of the Parliamentary Network in Azerbaijan. Mammadov also emphasized the importance of the Network in terms of providing parliamentary support for the decision-making process at the NAM.

“Discussions on the urgent global problems and issues are the factors that make the work of the Parliamentary Network necessary. The new institution can also contribute to expanding NAM’s relations on a global scale by establishing close ties with the parliamentary structures of many international organizations,” MP Mammadov concluded.

News.Az