By IANS,
Moscow : Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday praised the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) for strengthening global security.
The 16th NAM Summit opened in the Iranian capital under the theme of “Lasting Peace through Joint Global Governance”.
The meeting was held at “a difficult time” for international relations, as the whole world was in the shadow of economic gloom, Putin said in a greeting sent to the forum’s summit in Tehran, reported Xinhua.
Meanwhile, collective efforts were required to tackle common problems, such as regional conflicts, terrorism, the threat of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, drug trafficking, organised crime and piracy, the president said.
“There is need for coordinated efforts to clean up the aftermath of natural and man-made disasters and to ensure energy and food security,” Putin said.
NAM, as a mechanism of multilateral cooperation, united a number of countries, including “the most dynamically developing countries”, and made a great contribution to global stability and confidence, Putin said.
“I am confident this is a solid foundation for building a modern system of international relations, which respects the right of every country for its own path of development, cultural and historical identity,” he said.
Russia was prepared to strengthen interaction with NAM members and wished the summit a success, Putin said.
Founded in 1961 under the principle of non-participation in major power blocs, the NAM currently groups 120 members and 17 observers.
The heads of state and governments of the organisation are expected to discuss nuclear disarmament, human rights and regional issues during the two-day summit.