Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Participants of the 3rd Global Baku Forum, which kicked off in Baku on April 28, have exchanged views on best to approach and solve major problems in the world.

The forum featured its opening session under the title, “Major Problems in the New World Order” and was moderated by Jorge Quiroga, former president of Bolivia, AzerTag news agency reported.

Abdullah Gul, former Turkish president noted the importance of the forum in terms of “building confidence in the new world order”.

He called on the international community to unite around common values and “strengthen other principles and mechanisms of international relations”.

Gul also highlighted the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, stressing that for more than 20 years, Azerbaijan`s lands have been under occupation, with over one million Azerbaijanis having been expelled from their homelands.

He said the conflict “poses a serious threat to regional peace”, adding that “unfortunately the international community and mediating states do not make serious efforts on this front”.

For over two decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a conflict which emerged over Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions.

“Such cases have a negative impact on the world order. The international system`s inability to solve such problems is what reduces confidence in it. So international and regional organizations should play a bigger role,” Gul added.

Jean Chrétien, the former Canadian prime minister highlighted the impact of the energy factor on global politics.

Olusegun Obasanjo, the former Nigerian president drew the audience`s attention to problems in his country. He said the major threat to peace and stability in Nigeria was Boko Haram terrorist group.

George Papandreou, Greece`s former prime minister applauded Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev`s effective use of the country`s natural resources. He also touched upon how Greece is tackling its financial crisis.

Danilo Turk, former Slovenian president said the United Nations should contribute to creating a multi-polar system in the world.

Amr Moussa, former secretary-general of the Arab League said the lack of confidence in the new world order has shaken trust in the international system. He said double standards provoke instability, xenophobia and terrorism in the world, particularly in the Middle East.

The forum is being attended by presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers, former heads of several countries, and representatives from 72 countries.

The event has been set to discuss topics and issues related to the fight against terrorism, ethnic and religious conflict resolution, democracy development, education reform, and environment preservation.

The forum provides a space for current and ex-presidents, prime ministers, ministers and leading scholars and experts to assess the current state of the world and the most pressing threats to international security and peace, and to elaborate concrete steps for today's leadership to overcome these divisions.

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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

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