Member nations of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) need to further strengthen solidarity to deal with security challenges at present, Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc has said.

Mr. Ha Kim Ngoc

The Vietnamese official made the suggestion while addressing a foreign minister-level meeting of the movement, which took place on Margarita Island, Venezuela on September 15 to review preparations for 17th NAM Summit on September 17-18.

In his speech, Deputy Minister Ngoc highlighted significant contributions made by the movement in the struggle for peace, independence and sovereignty of its member nations.

He affirmed ASEAN nations are making every effort to build the ASEAN Community and the Southeast Asian region of peace, stability and development, while stressing the bloc’s determination to solve East Sea-related disputes by peaceful measures in line with international law.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodrigez stressed that NAM has greatly contributed to ensuring peace and stability in the world through its role at multilateral forums.

The movement should focus on reinforcing its strength as well as enhancing solidarity and diversity among all member nations, thus facilitating development co-operation and realising sustainable development goals.

With 120 member states, NAM is the second largest international organisation after the United Nations. It has 53 members from Africa, 39 from Asia, 26 from Latin America and the Caribbean, 17 observer countries and 10 observer organisations.

It has been dedicated since its creation in 1961 to defend the liberation struggles of the peoples of Africa, Asia, Latin America and other developing nations that have been described in the past as part of the "Third World."

Nhan Dan