Diplomat reflects on how NAM chairmanship impacted Azerbaijan’s foreign policy vision

Azerbaijan’s chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has served as one of the most productive and memorable stages in the country’s foreign policy activities.

This belief was expressed by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Yalchin Rafiyev, during a meeting with members of the NAM Youth Organisation, Caliber.Az reports citing local media.

According to him, the chairmanship from 2019 to 2023 allowed Azerbaijan to make a significant contribution to strengthening NAM’s role on the international stage and promoting its principles.

Rafiyev emphasised that despite the official chairmanship term having ended, Azerbaijan continues to actively participate in the organisation’s activities as part of the “troika [group of three] of chairs.”

“For our country, this was truly a unique and unforgettable experience. Even today, as we are part of the ‘troika,’ we are sincerely pleased to continue supporting the initiatives put forward during our chairmanship and to promote ideas that resonate widely among member states,” the deputy minister noted.

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was formed during the decolonisation era and the height of the Cold War in 1961 to prevent confrontation between the opposing two political-military Poles of the time. It aimed to promote peace, security, and development while respecting international law. NAM serves as a platform for cooperation among member states, which, despite differences in ideology, politics, and culture, adhere to its ten founding principles.

Over nearly six decades, NAM has grown into a major multilateral mechanism regulating international relations, comprising 120 member states representing about 59% of the global population, with additional observer states. Some of its most populous member states include India, Indonesia, Iran, Egypt, Angola, Pakistan, Ecuador, and Saudi Arabia.

Azerbaijan joined NAM in 2011, maintaining its foreign policy course of not aligning to any military alliance. The country hosted the 18th NAM Summit in Baku on October 25–26, 2019, assuming the chairmanship for 2019–2022. Due to Uganda’s delayed readiness to take over the subsequent chairmanship role, Azerbaijan’s mandate was extended by one year at the request of member states, with the East African nation currently chairing the movement until 2027.

Besides implementing several essential measurements during its years of leading the alliance, Azerbaijan continues providing positive inputs to NAM in the following years as well, such as proposing to establish the NAM Parliamentary Network. Its first edition was held in Baku in June–July 2022.

By Nazrin Sadigova