TURKPA participated in the 4th Conference of the NAM PN

On 6 April 2025, the TURKPA delegation headed by Secretary General Mehmet Süreyya Er, participated in the Fourth Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network (NAM PN), which was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on the sidelines of the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). Dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Bandung Principles, the Conference brought together over 300 participants from 70 countries and 15 international organizations, including heads of parliament and other high-level representatives. In her opening address, the Chairperson of the NAM PN, Chairperson of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova highlighted the enduring relevance of the Bandung Principles such as sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-interference, equality among nations, and underscored the critical role of parliaments in advancing justice and international law. She recalled Azerbaijan’s Chairmanship of the NAM from 2019 to 2024, during which President Ilham Aliyev prioritized the Bandung Principles, launched key initiatives to promote solidarity and cooperation, and initiated the founding of the Parliamentary Network of the Movement. The Conference subsequently featured interventions from heads of parliaments and high-level officials, including the President of the IPU Tulia Ackson, Secretary General of the IPU Martin Chungong, Chairperson of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan Tanzila Narbaeva, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Numan Kurtulmuş and heads of other member parliaments. Secretary General Mehmet Süreyya Er also addressed the Conference, emphasizing the relevance of the Bandung Principles in today’s geopolitical context. He highlighted the importance of parliamentary diplomacy in promoting peace, multilateralism, and sustainable development, and underlined TURKPA’s commitment to its ideals and values, which also coincides with the Bandung Spirit. He mentioned the pivotal role of Azerbaijan, during its Chairmanship in NAM, particularly in promoting the Bandung Principles and boosting the Movement’s prestige on the international scene, and in further institutional development of the Movement, including the establishment of the Movement’s Parliamentary Network and Youth Organisation, as well as proposal of creating Women Platform. The Conference concluded with the adoption of the Tashkent Declaration, which reaffirmed the commitment to the strengthening the Network’s institutional foundations, supported the Baku Climate Pact and the outcomes of COP29, and the right to safe, voluntary and dignified return for displaced persons, including the Western Azerbaijan Community. Since its establishment in 2021, the NAM PN has become an important mechanism for deepening multilateral dialogue and advancing common values rooted in the Bandung Spirit. TURKPA and NAM PN have mutual observer status in each other.