BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 22. I would like to express my gratitude to the Baku Initiative Group for its contribution to the issue of colonization of Bonaire, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Belize to the UN Carlos Fuller said at an international conference on the island of Bonaire being held in Baku, Trend reports.
“Over the years, our struggle for independence has been conducted based on two principles - the right to self-determination of the people and territorial integrity. These are the are the same principles we formulate in our foreign policy. It is with this message that we speak in all forums, whether we are dealing with small countries or superpowers,” he stated.
Fuller brought up the importance of safeguarding and promoting the cultural, political, economic, social, and educational advancement, as well as the equitable treatment and protection, of the people in question.
“It is necessary to develop self-government, to take into account the political aspirations of peoples properly and help them in the progressive development of their free political institutions under the specific circumstances of each territory and its people,” he added.
To note, Baku is hosting an international conference on the island of Bonaire, which was under Dutch colonial rule. The event is organized by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) and the Movement for Human Rights and Change on Bonaire Island.
The conference, entitled “Bonaire Island's Path to Self-Determination through the Baku Initiative Group at the UN General Assembly,” is attended by representatives of the Bonaire people fighting colonialism and seeking liberation, as well as officials and representatives from Belize, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, St. Lucia, the United Kingdom, Mexico, the Netherlands, the United Nations and other international and regional organizations. Moreover, human rights activists, leaders of non-governmental organizations, experts, and researchers in the field of decolonization are also participating in the conference.
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