Madrid, 30 November 2021 (TDI): On November 28, the inaugural conference of the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was held on the initiative of Ilham Aliyev. Aliyev is the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan as well as the Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement. This session took place in Madrid, Spain, within the framework of the 143rd Assembly of the Inter-parliamentary Union.
THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT
The NAM is a global forum consisting of 120 developing nations that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. The Movement originated during the Cold War, largely due to the efforts of Josip Broz Tito, then-President of Yugoslavia. This means that the movement is a collection of States that chose to take a neutral stance and did not seek to formally align themselves with either the Soviet Union or the United States. Instead, they remained independent or impartial. In present times, this movement aspires to protect and present the interests of developing countries in the face of powerful leader states.
GENERAL PROCEEDINGS OF THE MEETING
Chaired by the Speaker of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova, the NAM meeting was successful in devising its Parliamentary Network. Participants included speakers, deputy speakers, and deputies of the parliaments of the member states of the Non-Aligned Movement. This marked a milestone in the history of the Movement and opened new doors in serving to develop the inter-parliamentary sphere between member states.
The Parliamentary Network will inspire various governments to promote the fundamental principles of the NAM. Secondly, it will also enable parliamentary support in the decisions which member states of the Movement choose on making. In addition, it will offer contributions to these member states in the matter of resolving shared issues. Therefore, it will take on the role of a new multi-cultural cooperation platform aiming to combat emerging global threats.
Heads of delegations of NAM member states expressed their satisfaction with the initiative of Azerbaijan as chairman of the Movement. They further demonstrated that they would play their part in furthering the activities of the Network.
POST-MEETING ACTIONS
The Member States adopted the Madrid Declaration unanimously, shortly after the inaugural meeting. This Declaration highlights the commitments of the recently established Parliamentary Network to the activities and functions of the NAM. Additionally, the Declaration acknowledged Azerbaijan for its effective chairmanship of NAM. Finally, they announced that Azerbaijan will hold the next meeting in 2022.
