By Rouhana Azizza
BAKU, Azerbaijan: President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi attended the 18th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Baku on Friday, the Dispatch News Desk (DND) news agency reported.
The two-day Baku Summit will feature deliberations on the theme of “Upholding the Bandung Principles to ensure concerted and adequate response to the Challenges of Contemporary World”.
The Summit will also adopt a Final Document that reflects the Movement’s collective positions on global, regional, economic and social issues. This Document reaffirms the centrality of the UN Charter and international law principles including the inalienable right to self-determination of people under foreign occupation.
During the Summit, President Dr Alvi Alvi will share Pakistan’s perspective on a range of global, regional and other issues of contemporary salience, particularly spotlighting the rights, concerns and aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
The Non-Aligned Movement represents the biggest grouping of Countries outside the United Nations, comprising 120 developing Countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America.
“Pakistan continues to be an active member of NAM and has contributed significantly to the shaping of the Movement’s positions on a range of political, legal, economic and social issues and subjects,” said a statement issued by the Foreign Office in Islamabad on Friday.
Apart from his statement at the Summit, the president will hold meetings with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and other leaders including the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, the President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani, and the Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
Earlier today, the president along with his delegation arrived in Baku to attend the 18th Non-Aligned Movement Summit, and was received by the Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Ali Ahmedov at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku.
They two dignitaries also held a meeting and exchanged views on bilateral relations between the two brotherly Countries.
Ali Ahmedov thanked President Dr Arif Alvi for visiting Azerbaijan to attend the Summit.
