ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has called upon the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the world community to secure a just, peaceful and expeditious resolution of the two long-standing disputes - Kashmir and Palestine - in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council and the aspirations of the people.
In his video statement to the High-Level Commemorative Meeting to mark the 60th Anniversary of the NAM hosted in Belgrade, Serbia from 11-12 October 2021, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi expressed concern on the resurgence of great power tensions and a renewed global arms race.
In the face of existential threats faced by humanity, he urged for the renunciation of anachronistic Cold War concepts of strategic competition, military alliances, global or regional dominance, foreign intervention and occupation.
Noting NAM's principled support for the right of self-determination of people living under foreign occupation, the foreign minister highlighted the situation in Palestine and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) where this right was being denied.
He called upon NAM and the international community to secure a just, peaceful and expeditious resolution of these long-standing disputes, in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council and the aspirations of the people.
Sharing Pakistan's perspective on contemporary global issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, Qureshi underscored the significance of the essential role of NAM - an important international grouping dedicated to peace and development - to counter these challenges.
He called for a comprehensive and cooperative strategy to "build forward better" by addressing the need for vaccine equity, adequate financing for development, clear investment strategies, and focus on eliminating the structural and systemic inequalities.
The foreign minister reaffirmed Pakistan's firm commitment to NAM and its founding principles, which are as relevant today as they were 60 years ago, embodying the movement's collective aspiration for peace, equality, cooperation and well-being for all. The NAM was established in 1961 in Belgrade and is among the largest grouping of developing nations worldwide.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021