BAKU, Azerbaijan, Oct. 25
By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:
Despite the end of the Cold War, conflicts continue in various parts of the world, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Bin Mohamad said at the 18th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement in Baku on Oct. 25, Trend reports.
The Malaysian PM emphasized that the world is on the verge of a great war.
"Perhaps the situation has not yet reached this point, but conflicts, wars and terror in individual countries are a great threat to peace. On the other hand, the emergence of new weapons also exacerbates the situation," Bin Mohamad said.
The prime minister noted that the threat of terrorism is not decreasing, but rather increasing.
"There is no country in the world that would be insured against this threat. Terrorism can only be eliminated if there is a constructive approach and proper thinking. If you do not identify and eliminate its roots, this threat will grow. I urge all countries to fight terrorism," Bin Mohamad said.
Mahathir Bin Mohamad added that trade wars shock the economies of countries, they cause countries the same damage as ordinary wars, which leads to social problems and conflicts.
"Wars between the leading economies of the world negatively affect the global economic system. Malaysia is at the center of this economic war. Malaysia is connected with the economies of the US and China. Therefore, it is necessary to increase national competitiveness," the prime minister said.
"A killer of one person is considered a criminal, but those who caused the killing of millions of people go unpunished. Modern wars are killing innocent children, women. The culprits of these wars must be punished. We must not adapt to the pressure of superpowers. This inspires them, and we are under even greater pressure. By working together, we could resist these difficulties," the prime minister added.
The 18th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement is being held in Baku on Oct. 25-26. A preparatory meeting of the high-ranking officials of the participating countries was held on Oct. 21-22. The foreign ministers of the participating countries discussed the preparation for the summit on Oct. 23-24.
Representatives of 158 countries and international organizations participate in the summit, including ministers of foreign affairs, heads of state and government and other senior representatives.
Azerbaijan will chair the organization in 2019-2022.
The Non-Aligned Movement, uniting states that did not join any military-political blocs during the Cold War, has transformed into one of the important multilateral mechanisms.
Today, the Non-Aligned Movement is the second political platform after the UN by the number of member states.