Baku.- In this capital, members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) identified several of the most important current international issues affecting the world’s preparation for the post-Covid-19 pandemic phase.
The analysis of recovery measures after the effects of the global health crisis of the last three years was the focus of a summit held by the so-called Contact Group of this group of 120 countries dedicated to the issue of this disease.
The first to point out these difficulties was President of Azerbaijan and President of NAM Ilham Aliyev, when he called for strengthening South-South cooperation and defending the principles of sovereignty, equality and mutual benefit of countries on the basis “of needs” called owning and not imposed.
He also warned of the changes taking place in an international situation characterized by the threats arising from violations of the principles of sovereignty and non-interference, as well as the risks inherent in multilateralism.
The Azerbaijani ruler insisted on the need for reform of the UN Security Council, describing this body as “a throwback to the past that does not reflect the reality of the present” and called for expanding the number of members of this body of representatives.
On the subject, he called for a permanent seat for the countries holding the rotating Non-Aligned Presidency.
Both Aliyev and other attending dignitaries criticized the selective approaches and double standards employed in many aspects of international politics, and reiterated the importance of solidarity, unity and respect as key factors of humanity today.
The Baku meeting also condemned the use of unilateral coercive measures, sanctions and blockades suffered by various non-aligned countries such as Cuba.
In this regard, Cuban Vice President Salvador Valdés said that the tightening of the blockade imposed on the island by the United States has reached unprecedented proportions.
However, he stressed that his country had developed five vaccine candidates, three of which became highly effective vaccines against Covid-19.
Cuba is ready to make available to developing countries the progress made by its scientific community in combating the Covid-19 pandemic, assured the head of the Cuban delegation.
Several speakers warned that the world was undergoing a transformation process amid “the greatest confrontation since the end of the Cold War” and with global implications.
In this regard, the Azerbaijani President warned of a growing trend towards colonialism, recalled that the NAM was created as part of the decolonization process and called on France to respect the rights of its overseas colonies and apologize for its colonial past.
The adverse effects of climate change was another topic discussed in plenary, with a focus on the risks faced by small island states and the funding needs to adapt to this phenomenon.
The summit ended with a rapporteur’s report containing the development of the meeting and ratifying the movement’s decision to extend Azerbaijan’s mandate at the top of the Non-Aligned Alliance until the end of 2023 (it should have ended in 2022) when it will pass into the hands of Uganda.