BAKU, Azerbaijan, Oct. 23
By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:
Azerbaijan has taken over chairmanship in the meeting of foreign ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) member countries, Trend reports Oct. 23.
The chairmanship in the meeting of foreign ministers was handed over by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Alberto Arreaza Montserrat to Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.
Expressing gratitude, Mammadyarov noted that during the chairmanship, Azerbaijan will carry out the necessary work to develop the organization and strengthen ties among the member countries.
The meeting of the foreign ministers of the NAM member countries, which will last until Oct. 24, is taking place in Baku in anticipation of the 18th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the NAM member countries.
On Oct. 21-22, a preparatory meeting of officials of the participating countries took place.
The 18th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement member-states will be held in Baku on Oct. 25-26 and Azerbaijan will chair this structure in 2019-2022.
Representatives of 158 countries and international organizations confirmed their participation in the summit. The event will be attended by foreign ministers, heads of state and government and other senior representatives.
NAM, uniting the countries which did not join any military-political blocs during the Cold War, 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.
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