Azernews.Az

BAKU – Azerbaijan became a full-fledged member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), a group that does not join military blocs, according to a decision passed at a ministerial of the organization held in Bali, Indonesia on Wednesday.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said in his opening remarks that membership in the NAM will allow Azerbaijan to effectively cooperate with non-aligned countries in various fields and contribute to the organization's constructive role in international relations to achieve "more just, equal and international-law-based world order".

"Azerbaijan pursues a multidimensional and balanced foreign policy and proved itself to be a reliable partner, as well as a strong, stable, predictable and to a greater extent decisive country to cooperate with in the Caspian-Caucasus region," Mammadyarov told the ministerial, according to Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry.

The minister said Azerbaijan deeply values "the prominent and dynamic role" the NAM has played over the 50 years of its activity in resolving "vital issues of common concern" to its member states.

Mammadyarov said the NAM remains as relevant today as it was when it was founded half a century ago. He said the demise of the Cold War has, in no way, diminished the unique role of the NAM as a mechanism for the political coordination of non-aligned countries.

"In order to realize a more coordinated and efficient Movement capable of responding to a rapidly changing international environment in an effective manner, we have to explore new ways and means. It could be both strengthening the existing mechanisms, including Coordinating Bureau, Working Groups or Caucuses and finding new ways of better coordination and representation, such as supporting each other’s candidacies to the supreme bodies of international organizations and coordinating activities and decisions within the framework of these bodies.

"I am fully confident that the Non-Aligned Movement, which has evolved from a forum uniting the visions of its members to a forum resolutely advancing the causes of justice, peace and prosperity, will be as strong and coordinated in the upcoming 50 years as it is now," Mammadyarov said.

He also said Azerbaijan recognizes that poverty eradication and a balanced integration of economic growth, social development and environmental protection are the main three indispensable pillars of sustainable development.

"My country is determined to contribute to the realization of the development goals and objectives agreed within the United Nations. It demonstrates full support and undertakes ceaseless efforts for eradication of poverty and promotion of sustained economic growth, sustainable development and global prosperity for all, paying particular attention to addressing the special needs and vulnerabilities of the developing and least developed countries as well as those recovering from natural disasters. In the last five years Azerbaijan has provided extensive humanitarian assistance to and contributed to the implementation of national development policies and strategies in a number of countries from different regions."

Analysts and opposition figures note that Azerbaijan's move to join NAM comes with relations strained with the European Union due to Baku's human rights record, and could indicate a shift away from the West.

But Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elxan Poluxov tells Rardio Liberty that the decision to join NAM does not contradict Baku's European integration ambitions, which have always been limited in scope.

"We have started the Euro-integration process and will continue it, but pursuing this integration process does not mean that we want to become a member of either NATO or any other organization," Poluxov says. "Integration does not mean becoming a member. Cooperation with both NATO and the European Union will continue. Azerbaijan adheres to its national interests in defining its foreign and domestic policies."

Baku has long pursued a policy of engaging with and even joining international organizations while at the same time remaining on the fringes. It is a member of the Russia-dominated Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) but has not joined the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). It is a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace program but last year declined to host scheduled joint military exercises with the United States, possibly due to pressure from Moscow.

Baku is also a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe, but its human rights record and oppressive political environment are regularly criticized by both organizations.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Poluxov seems to indicate that Baku looks similarly at its role in NAM, stressing that the country can leave the bloc "any time it wishes."

Observers in Baku are at something of a loss to understand the decision to join NAM, especially considering that the problem of the Armenia-occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region is far from resolved.

"What will we gain?" asks Azerbaijani political scientist Vafa Quluzadeh. "If we join NATO, we know what we'll gain -- I know what we could gain from cooperation with Turkey. If we joined the Collective Security Treaty Organization, I could understand that it would be a surrender to Russia and a renunciation of our independence. But I do not understand NAM."

Besides Azerbaijan, Fiji joined the organization at the NAM meeting. Thus, the total number of NAM members reached 120, of which 60 percent are United Nations member states.

Azerbaijan has had the observer status in the organization so far.

Established by 25 countries at the Belgrade conference in 1961, the NAM is an organization of countries based on the principles of non-participation in military blocs.

The organization includes the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, as well as observer countries - Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Costa Rica, Mexico, Paraguay, Serbia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Croatia, and Montenegro.