On June 30 – July 1, 2022, the Republic of Azerbaijan hosted the Baku Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network (NAM PN) dedicated to the theme of “Boosting the role of national parliaments in promoting global peace and sustainable development”.

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The Baku Conference was attended by parliamentarians from more than 40 NAM Member States, including Speakers and Deputy Speakers of their respective national parliaments, as well as 8 inter-parliamentary organizations.

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Opening the Conference with the key-note statement, H.E. Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and incumbent Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, highlighted the importance and continued relevance of the NAM and its values enshrined in Bandung principles. Stressing the importance of parliamentary diplomacy and inter-parliamentary relations, H.E. Mr. Ilham Aliyev expressed his confidence that the NAM PN, established on the initiative of Azerbaijan as the chair country of the NAM, will contribute to solidarity among member states and facilitate close working relations with different parliamentary institutions of the world. Speaking about the initiatives put forward by Azerbaijan in strengthening solidarity among member states and towards the institutional development of the NAM, the President of Azerbaijan suggested that it is already high time for the Member States to restart discussions on further institutionalization of the Movement.

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Following the President’s speech, Ms. Sahiba Gafarova, Speaker of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan, addressing the event, expressed that the NAM PN will constitute yet another asset to promote multilateralism worldwide. As Baku Conference coincided with the International Day of Parliamentarism which is celebrated each year on 30 June in accordance with the relevant United Nations General Assembly resolution, Ms. Sahiba Gafarova took the opportunity to congratulate NAM Member State parliamentarians on that solemn occasion.

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The meeting continued with the parliamentarians adopting the documents of the Baku Conference, including the “Baku Declaration” and the “Statute on working modalities of the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network” and approving the logo and the official flag of the Network.

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Thanking the participants for their collective spirit and inputs during the elaboration process of the aforementioned documents, Ms. Gafarova noted that the adoption of these documents elevates Baku Conference to a historic and momentous event, which is a very important first step towards the institutionalization of the Parliamentary Network.

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Referring to the adopted Statute on Working Modalities the Baku Conference proceeded to the election of the Chairperson and Vice-Chairpersons of the Parliamentary Network. Ms. Sahiba Gafarova, Speaker of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan, was elected as the Chairperson of the NAM PN. Mr. Ali Ahmed Faysal, Vice-President of the National Council of the State of Palestine (from the Asian group), Mr. Jorge Jesús Rodríguez Gómez, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (from the Latin American group), and Mr. Fawzi Al-Taher Al-Nouiri, the First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the State of Libya (from the African group) were elected as Vice-Chairpersons of the NAM PN.

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During the two-day Baku Conference heads of delegations delivered their statements.

The first day of the Baku Conference ended with a Gala dinner hosted by Ms. Sahiba Gafarova, Speaker of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan in honour of the participants of the event.

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In her closing remarks, Ms. Sahiba Gafarova expressed her gratitude to all the participants of the event and called the parliamentarians of the NAM to actively participate in the future evolution and development of the Network. She announced that the next meeting of the NAM Parliamentary Network would be held in Manama, Bahrain in 2023 on the sidelines of the 146th Assembly of IPU.

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On July 2, 2022, the participants of the Baku Conference headed by Ms. Sahiba Gafarova visited Shusha city, the cultural Capital of Azerbaijan. In Shusha, the guests had the opportunity to see the ongoing reconstruction and renovation works done by the government of Azerbaijan after the city was liberated from 30 years long Armenian occupation.