"Azerbaijan considers itself part of the Global South. We are part of the Global South geographically, historically, culturally, and also in terms of our destiny," Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, Hikmat Hajiyev, said during his speech at the first General Assembly of the Global South NGO Platform (GSNP), APA reports.
“Azerbaijan fully and comprehensively understands all the difficulties and problems faced by Global South countries. There is also a historical reason for this, because Azerbaijan itself experienced these difficulties and problems during its years of independence and throughout its history in general. I would especially like to emphasize the elements of colonialism and neocolonialism. Global South countries have suffered greatly throughout history. Unfortunately, we regret that this practice still continues globally, merely taking on new forms and manifestations,” Hikmat Hajiyev said.
According to him, during Azerbaijan’s chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement from 2019 to 2022, the fight against neocolonialism was declared one of its main priorities: “Unfortunately, the UN Special Committee on Decolonization has still not been able to fully fulfill its mandate because some countries are resisting the decolonization process.”
Hikmat Hajiyev drew attention to the limited role of the Global South in shaping the world order.
“It is very gratifying that after World War II, especially in the 1960s, many Global South countries gained independence. However, we still cannot deny the past, and elements of neocolonialism continue to prevail in some regions where Global South countries are located. As the chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, as well as the chair and president of COP29, Azerbaijan has made a major contribution to the development and cooperation of Global South countries. I am pleased to note that both bilaterally and multilaterally, we have comprehensive cooperation with Global South countries, and this cooperation continues to develop in many different areas. However, we must admit that we are living in an era of global disorder. New threats, new challenges, and new uncertainties are emerging. Unfortunately, throughout history, when a new global order was being formed, the Global South was not represented at the table. Especially after World War II, the voice of the Global South was not heard,” the presidential aide emphasized.
Hikmat Hajiyev noted that it is unacceptable for this situation to continue: “Now, considering the greater potential and the fact that 80 percent of the world’s population lives in Global South countries, we cannot simply remain observers watching the formation of a new world order from the sidelines. Global South countries must actively participate in all these processes and initiatives. The current structure of international institutions, especially the UN Security Council, does not reflect the realities of the modern world. The voice of the Global South is not sufficiently heard in this institution. Fair geographical representation has also not been ensured. We believe that in the process of reforming the UN Security Council, the voice of the Global South and its fair representation must be ensured in particular. Azerbaijan is a strong supporter of multilateralism.”
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on X
