Azerbaijan considers itself a part of the Global South. We are part of the Global South in terms of geography, history, culture, and destiny.
elchi reports that this was stated by Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan – Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, during his speech at the first General Assembly of the Global South NGO Platform (GSNP) in Baku.
“Azerbaijan fully and comprehensively understands all the difficulties and problems faced by the countries of the Global South. There is a historical reason for this, as Azerbaijan has also experienced these difficulties and problems during its years of independence and throughout its history in general. I would particularly like to emphasize the elements of colonialism and neo-colonialism. The countries of the Global South have suffered greatly throughout history. We regret that this practice still continues at the global level, simply taking on new forms and manifestations,” said Hikmet Hajiyev.
According to him, during Azerbaijan’s chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement from 2019 to 2022, the fight against neo-colonialism was declared one of its main priorities: “We regret that the UN Special Committee on Decolonization has not yet been able to fully fulfill its mandate because some countries resist the decolonization process.”
Hikmet Hajiyev drew attention to the fact that the role of the Global South in shaping the world order has been limited.
“It is very gratifying that after the Second World War, especially in the 1960s, many countries of the Global South gained independence. But still, we cannot deny the past, and elements of neo-colonialism 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 great contribution to the development and cooperation of Global South countries. I note with satisfaction that we have comprehensive cooperation with Global South countries at both bilateral and multilateral levels, and this cooperation continues to develop in many different areas. However, we must admit that we live in an era of global disorder. New threats, new challenges, and new uncertainties are emerging. Unfortunately, throughout history, the Global South has not been represented at the table when a new global order was being formed. Especially after the Second World War, the voice of the Global South was not heard,” the Presidential Aide emphasized.
Hikmet Hajiyev pointed out that the continuation of this situation is unacceptable: “Currently, considering the greater potential and the fact that 80 percent of the world’s population lives in Global South countries, we cannot be a party that just observes and watches 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 heard sufficiently in this institution. Furthermore, fair geographical representation has 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. Azerbaijan is a firm supporter of multilateralism.”