Azernews.Az

By Abdul Kerimkhanov

NAM Summit will further strengthen Azerbaijan's foreign policy among international actors, Peter M. Tase, Scholar of International Affairs and author of various books on Azerbaijani Studies and Latin American Politics, said in an interview with Azernews.

"The 2019 Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit will further strengthen Azerbaijan's Foreign Policy and increase significantly the defense of Azerbaijan's sovereign territory and national strategy among international actors and the world's largest democracies," Tase stated.

He noted that the NAM Summit is hosted in Baku, thanks to the great level of leadership in Europe, Latin America and Asia shown by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. He added that this organization is positioned as the most important platform of multilateral diplomacy.

"October 2019 will be remembered as a pivotal moment in the history of NAM and contemporary achievements of Azerbaijan in the fields of international politics, sustainable development, and economic diplomacy," he added.

Tase considers, the member countries of NAM can bolster their global presence and promote regional economic projects as well as craft a strategic road map for a more peaceful world; they are part of a forum that promotes sustainable international development projects that generate great benefits to societies and predominant industrial sectors in Central Asia, the Pacific, Africa and Latin America.

"Azerbaijan is emerging once again as the best platform where key global leaders may gather to address the world's pressing challenges and tackle unresolved security and defense related matters," Tase commented.

He emphasized, Azerbaijan has keenly shaped the Agenda of International and Regional Geopolitical Priorities; the organization and hosting of major Summits and Conferences in Baku is a testimony to the country's admirable economic growth; consolidated agriculture industry and cutting edge information technology research at the university level.

"The propensity of Azerbaijan towards economic growth and dynamic foreign policy makes the land of fire a leading partner and strategic actor in shaping the 21st Century priorities in the fields of development and international diplomatic matters," Tase concluded.

In turn, Geopolitical Analyst, Commentator and Columnist Malik Ayub Sumbal believes that Azerbaijan will play a vital role in the uplifting of NAM during its chairmanship era for the next three years.

Noting that Baku has been always a hub of regional and international activities, he expressed confidence that during the next three years the theme of the NAM will be highlighted more.

"Azerbaijan has a huge potential of active diplomacy around the world and it’s a good chance for NAM to active under an umbrella," he concluded.

Uniting the countries that did not join any military-political blocs during the Cold War, the NAM was transformed into one of the important multilateral mechanisms. Today, the NAM is the second political platform after the UN, uniting in its ranks the biggest number of countries.

The representatives of 158 countries and international organizations participated in the summit held in Baku.

Azerbaijan will chair this structure in 2019-2022.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

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