Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli is leaving for Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan on Thursday to participate in the 18th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) being held there from October 25-26.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to address the general debate of the Summit on October 26. The theme of the 18th NAM meeting’s General Debate is “Upholding the Bandung Principles to ensure concerted and adequate response to the challenges of contemporary world”.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nepali delegation includes Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, the Prime Minister’s Chief Advisor Bishnu Rimal, Foreign Affairs Adviser Dr. Rajan Bhattarai, Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi and senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Oli said that it was essential to be committed to the formula and values of peace, justice and equality propounded by the first Summit of NAM.
In an interview with Nepal Television on Tuesday, Prime Minister Oli expressed his hope that the 18th Summit of NAM would address the basic principles and need of the non-alignment movement. He stressed the need for safeguarding the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national wellbeing of each country.
He said that Nepal has been abiding by the policies outlined during the first NAM Summit and was committed to the UN charter.
He also clarified that Nepal has a policy to have friendship with all and enmity with none.
He said that the recent state visit of the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping to Nepal had maintained a long lasting friendship based on broader mutual goodwill, respect and trust.
“Friendship is the most important thing, everything will be possible if there is friendship, and nothing will be possible if there is no friendship,” he said.
The 18th NAM Summit will be preceded by the Preparatory Ministerial Meeting on October 23-24 and Senior Officials Meeting on October 21-22.
The Summit will consider the report of the Preparatory Ministerial Meeting, review the progress achieved in the implementation of the outcomes of the 17th Summit held in 2016, and conclude with the adoption of the Baku Declaration.
The Prime Minister will return to Kathmandu on October 27.
Meanwhile, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali addressed the NAM Ministerial Meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Wednesday. The principles of NAM constitute the fundamentals of Nepal’s foreign policy, he said.
Minister Gyawali said that the principles of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) were enshrined in Nepal’s Constitution to guide its international relations.
“Nepal believes that the principles of sovereignty and sovereign equality of States, territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs of any State and pacific settlement of international disputes are the cardinal principles of the multilateral system,” he said.
He said that as a founding member, Nepal believed that a stronger and revitalised NAM was a sine qua non for achieving peace, development and security.
“Our Movement is for equal rights, equal opportunities, equal protection and equal respect for all countries,” he added. After the success of unique and home-grown peace process that culminated in the promulgation of the new Constitution in 2015, Nepal’s priority was now on economic transformation and sustainable development, he said.
He further said that implementation of the 2030 Agenda was a national priority and an integral part of Nepal to graduate from the LDC status. “We anticipate an enhanced, predictable and continued international support including from the NAM membership for a smooth transition and sustainable graduation,” Minister Gyawali said.
Stating that Nepal was committed to doing all it could , including in forging partnerships among public and private sectors at home, he said that the government of Nepal looks forward to an increased cooperation and partnership with all our international partners for necessary resources, investment, technology and other forms of support.
He said the founding fathers of the Non-Aligned Movement had chosen universal peace over conflict, uniting commonalities over dividing differences, shared prosperity over unequitable development and balanced multi-polarity over hegemonic bipolarity.
“This Movement is an epitome of our collective pursuit for peaceful, just, fair and equitable world order,” he said, adding that drawing its strength from the Bandung Principles, the Movement had always led the path towards international solidarity and cooperation in the wake of ever-increasing challenges.
He, however, said that the collective efforts to establish a peaceful and prosperous world were hindered by multiple challenges. He cited poverty and hunger, disease and deprivation and lack of fair distribution of economic as major challenges.
He said increasing incidents of terrorism, transnational organized crimes, violent extremism, and hate speeches, among others, had become everyday phenomena.
“The menace of climate change is outpacing our response. Unfortunately, it is the poorest and most vulnerable who are hit hardest by the impacts of climate change despite their negligible emissions,” he added.
He further said that multilateralism was under attack due to growing trends of populist nationalism and protectionism, and urged one and all to strengthen the multilateral system by upholding and defending the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations (UN) and the principles of international law.
A strong, transparent and democratic UN would be an effective institution for global governance, he said, adding that no peace and security could ever sustain without achieving sustainable development.
He said that money spent on prevention of conflict globally was much lower than the cumulative human, social and psychological costs incurred due to cyclical conflicts. He said the 120-member NAM, has a special responsibility to use its numerical and moral strength to ensure adequate and predictable resources in preventing conflicts and helping its members achieve peace and stability.
He also called for the reforms in the international financial systems. “They need to be further democratised to make them more open, transparent and equitable,” he said.
Trade and investment were not just engines of growth but important tools to ensure inclusive growth and sustainable development, he said. Minister Gyawali had left for Baku to attend the Ministerial Meeting as well as the NAM Summit.
