Panafrican News Agency

Libya urges Non-Aligned Movement to work towards fair representation of all peoples of the world

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libya said here Thursday results of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit meetings held recently in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, and previously in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, must be translated into a practical reality.

This, it said, would help it achieve the movement's fundamental objectives, including "ensuring the equitable representation of all peoples, strengthening the principles of respect for human rights, consolidating international security, disarmament, and taking decisions to prevent the spread of weapons".

This was contained in a speech delivered Wednesday by Libyan Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Omar Keti at the Mid-Term Ministerial Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the NAM hosted by Azerbaijan via videoconferencing.

Libya also called for the movement to address "environmental issues and risks to our planet due to non-compliance with treaties signed to preserve the environment".

The Libyan deputy minister also stressed "the need to consolidate the rules of a global economic and financial system, the basis of which is justice in distribution and consideration of the interests of countries and peoples, especially the peoples of developing countries".

In his speech, Keti noted that the Non-Aligned Movement, "which represents nearly two-thirds of the UN member-states and participates in four of the five UN peacekeeping forces, represents a strong and effective bloc in the world".

He stressed the need for the movement to "have a vital role in responding to the global challenges we face today and which will shape the future of the countries of the Movement".

Keti reiterated "Libya's commitment to the movement's noble values and the protection of the values contained in the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and working to strengthen mechanisms for dialogue to solve problems through cooperation and coordination of efforts between countries to address global challenges such as poverty, hunger, displacement and armed violence".

He advocated solidarity among countries of the movement to achieve peace and unity, to confront the devastating impact of terrorism, social and economic deprivation, religious fundamentalism and cultural conflicts, and to coordinate to address the urgent crises facing the world, such as the outbreak of COVID-19.

He stressed that the very serious economic, financial, social, security and humanitarian crises from which many NAM countries suffered, required concerted efforts from the international community to help them overcome these crises and continue to work to achieve development to attain the desired goals for sustainable development by 2030.

The Libyan official explained that the deterioration of the security situation and the increase in social and humanitarian burdens led to a threat to security and destabilization in many parts of the African and Latin American continents.

These, he noted, required the intensification of national, regional and international efforts, and the strengthening of cooperation and coordination mechanisms within the framework of the Non-Aligned Movement to address these situations and challenges such as organized crime, human trafficking, smuggling and drug trafficking, and illegal immigration.

He called on the member-states of the movement to unite in combating criminal activities as a matter of urgency, noting that "engaging in a serious dialogue between nations and peoples will help overcome many negative phenomena that offend a particular religion .and cause hatred and conflict between peoples".

With regard to the Palestinian cause, Keti stressed that "the persistence of racist policies and the failure to grant rights to their owners represented in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state will lead the whole region to a bitter conflict".

He therefore called on "the UN Security Council to assume its responsibilities to protect the Palestinian people and to work for the implementation of its decisions related to the Palestinian cause".

He praised the position of the countries of the NAM during their various meetings, for attaching great importance to the Palestinian cause and their support for the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination, to return to their homes and to establish their independent state with Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital.

Concluding his speech, the Deputy Minister for International Cooperation and Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed Libya's commitment to the noble principles on which the Movement was based, assuring that it will not accept under any circumstances to compromise its sovereignty, and that it will not be subjected to any external diktat.

He indicated that Libya, as a member state of the movement, would work with the other member states, progressing gradually towards the realization of the aspirations and expectations of the peoples of the movement for peace, security, development and social justice.

The Conference of Foreign Ministers of Non-Aligned Countries was held with the participation of Libya on 13-14 July under the theme "The Non-Aligned Movement is at the heart of multilateral efforts to meet global challenges".

-0- PANA BY/IS/SOC/BBA/RA 15July2021