The Hon’ble Foreign Minister is attending the Preparatory Ministerial Meeting of the 18th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Baku, Azerbaijan. At the Ministerial meeting, the Hon’ble Foreign Minister said, “Recognizing the importance of NAM, our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman decided to join the Movement in 1973 in its Algiers’ Summit”. Bangladesh has also been a strong believer in the goals of the Movement” said the Hon’ble Foreign Minister Dr. A. K. Abdul Momen, MP.
The Preparatory Ministerial Meeting has started on 23 October 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The Foreign Ministers/their representatives of the NAM member states have joined the two-day long Ministerial meeting. This is the final preparatory meeting to make the 18th NAM summit successful.
In his remarks, Hon’ble Foreign Minister highlighted how Bangladesh’s policy closely aligns with the NAM principles. Besides, the he emphasized on the importance of Bandung Principles to establish a prosperous world. He also focused on the significance of South-South Cooperation for achieving SDGs. Mentioning Bangladesh’s development trajectory, a miracle, the Hon’ble Foreign Minister highlighted Bangladesh’s economic development under the dynamic leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He also mentioned the leading role of Bangladesh in peacekeeping and peacebuilding to establish a sustainable world of peace and stability.
The Hon’ble Foreign Minister expressed dissatisfaction on Myanmar’s role in the process of solving the Rohingya crisis. He raised the issue that despite giving commitments to ensure conducive environment in Northern Rakhine State and to take back the Rohingyas, Myanmar has not yet taken back any of the Rohingyas till date. He urged the international community, particularly the ASEAN neighbors of Myanmar to remain engaged with Myanmar to reach a solution of this crisis. He also emphasized on ensuring the accountability of the perpetrators of this crisis. He expressed hope to solve the crisis through dialogue and discussions.
At the side lines of the Preparatory Ministerial Meeting, the Hon’ble Foreign Minister also participated in a side event titled “Promoting Peace and Sustainable Development through South-South and Triangular Cooperation”, organized by Azerbaijan, Islamic Development Bank and South Centre as a speaker at the opening session. In his opening speech, he mentioned the concept of a South-South Ministers’ Forum. He emphasized on South-South Cooperation and triangular cooperation. The Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Mr. Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev also attended the opening session of this event.
The Preparatory Ministerial meeting will end on 24 October 2019 and the18th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) will be held on 25-26 October 2019. The Hon’ble Prime Minister is expected to join the Summit.