As we reported earlier, the Baku Conference of the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement Enhancing the Roles of National Parliaments in Promoting Peace and Sustainable Development Worldwide began at the Heydar Aliyev Centre on 30 June.

President Ilham Aliyev of the Azerbaijan Republic attended the Conference and delivered an address at it (the text of the address has been circulated through the media).

After that, Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova thanked President Aliyev, speaking on behalf of the participants, for his noble initiative to set up the NAM Parliamentary Network. She then announced the agenda that included passing the Statute on Working Modalities of the NAM PN and its official logo and flag as well as taking care of several organisational matters.

Deliberations followed.

Sahiba Gafarova was elected Chair of the PN whilst the Venezuelan, Palestinian and Libyan delegates were elected as her deputies for the Latin American, Asian and African Groups respectively.

A video address of Chairman of the UN General Assembly 76^th Session Abdulla Shahid was shown. In it, Mr Shahid thanked the people and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan as well as the Milli Majlis leadership for their hospitality extended to him when he was visiting in Azerbaijan a few days ago.

Mr Shahid talked about parliamentary multiversity; he stressed the special role of the NAM and of its Parliamentary Network against the background of global challenges. The current problems can only possibly be solved jointly, through international efforts, and the parliaments ought to say their words in this business, according to Mr Shahid.

The video addresses of President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Duarte Pacheco and the IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong followed.

Chairman of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (GNAT) Mustafa Şentop spoke about the profile of the NAM having been elevated during the Azerbaijani chairmanship. He emphasised that our country would be chairing the NAM PN successfully.

‘Azerbaijan pursues a very apt and wise policy. Azerbaijan, which has restored its territorial integrity, is making every effort to establish peace and security in the region. We could see how much multiversity matters when the coronavirus was being combatted. Global challenges need fighting against by means of global efforts. Terror is the top item on the global agenda today,’ Mr Şentop said.

Azerbaijan has negotiated a long path having remained firm on her political course and become the chief player in the region in the thirty years past, according to Chairman of the Pakistani Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani who added that the NAM as one of the leading international organisations continued influencing the countering of international fragmentation and polarisation and that the NAM called on the countries of the world to promote peace and co-operation.

‘The modern world is progressing towards globalisation, interaction and co-operation rapidly. At the same time, the countries of the world understand time and again that wars are only a way to take lives and destroy property. We should all strive to resolve conflicts peacefully. Pakistan has always supported co-operation in the name of global world, prosperity and development,’ Mr Sanjrani was saying.

Chair of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan Tanzila Narbayeva, in turn, remarked that the goal of the NAM PN Baku Conference held upon the instance of President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan was to grant nations peace and protect our sovereignties. By virtue of the Baku Conference, the NAM member-states will be trying to find solutions for the matters that concern them and to elaborate appropriate solving mechanisms.

Mrs Narbayeva said also that she hoped the NAM PN states were going to become yet closer and broaden their relations, which would certain to bear favourably on the general state of affairs.

According to Chair of the Milli Geňeş of Turkmenistan Gulshat Mammadova, by promoting the dialogue culture the NAM PN will create an opportunity to contribute to peace and stability. Mrs Mammadova also voiced her confidence of the substantial input of the Baku Declaration to the progress of the friendly and brotherly ties amongst our countries.

The leader of Jordan’s House of Representatives Abdul-Karim al-Deghmi said that we witness the world being divided into blocks again by the example of the Russian-Ukrainian standoff.

‘We expect the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement to put in its bit of the crises’ resolution. On the other hand, Jordan urges the world to protect the territorial integrities of Syria and Iraq. The key to peace in the world and in the Near East lies in solving the Palestinian problem fairly,’ Mr al-Deghmi told the audience.

The others who took the floor were Chairman of the Egyptian Senate Abdel Wahab Abdel Razeq, Chairman of the Djiboutian National Assembly Ali Houmed, Chairman of Morocco’s House of Representatives Rachid Talbi El Alami, Chairman of Algeria’s National Assembly Ibrahim Boughali and President of the Arab Parliament Adel Al Asoomi. They all expressed their respective countries’ support for the work of the NAM PN and said they believed that that work would serve peace and progress.

They referred to the current events unfolding in the world and said that, as they hoped, the NAM PN was poised to contribute to international peace and security. The numerousness of the participants of the Baku Conference was taken as a sign of the participating states’ assuredness of the efficiency and effectiveness of the work of this Parliamentary Network.

It was said next that the NAM PN that had emerged at a very opportune time was going to become a progressive parliamentary mechanism.

The guests thanked Azerbaijan for having conducted the NAM PN Baku Conference to high standards.

It should be mentioned that the parliamentary delegations of more than 40 countries and envoys of up to 10 international parliamentary organisations took part in the Conference.

The Baku Conference continued on 1 July.

The two-day event saw the heads of the attending delegations come up with presentations about the problems that exist in the world, comment on those and underline the role of the NAM PN in the joint struggle against them.

The Conference was capped with the closing speech by Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova who talked about the extreme importance of the event at which significant matters had been discussed and certain decisions had been made.

‘We have elected the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairpersons of the Network for the next three years; we have adopted the official logo and flag of the Organisation. I thank you for electing me as the Chair of the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement. I am sure that the matters reflected in the Baku Declaration will be implemented with success. The forthcoming progress of the Parliamentary Network will assist us in rising to a new level and will also broaden our co-operation yet more,’ Sahiba Gafarova said.

The participants of the closed conference are expected to travel to the de-occupied territories of Azerbaijan including the country’s culture capital of Shusha where they will be introduced to the current re-construction works.

The Press and Public Relations Department  
The Milli Majlis