Azerbaijan, Baku, July 17/Trend M. Moezzi
A top adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader says member countries of the Non Alliance Movement (NAM) have prevented the world from being divided between two world powers and must be ready for whatever the unknown future is.
Ali Akbar Velayati, who serves as senior international adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was speaking at the first NAM scientific conference, Mehr news agency reports.
Islamic countries that are part of the movement have to think about the future, said Mr. Velayati. China, a NAM member, is now a world superpower with the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) seeking to surround it. India is pressing to become a permanent member of the United Nations' Security Council and Brazil and Latin America have demands too.
So it's important for the 120 NAM members, who are mostly Muslim countries, to develop a comprehensive strategy for the future.
Mr. Velayati said perhaps the foundations for NAM's formation were laid as far back as 1955 in Indonesia. Since then the movement has met at 15 conferences and Iran will host the 16th NAM conference from August 26 to 31. Held in Tehran, the conference will host NAM's 120 member and 17 observer countries.