_{It is symbolic that Azerbaijan’s chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has been welcomed warmly and with optimistic expectations not only by the countries that are members of this largest international organization, but also by broader social forces and states supporting the efforts to strengthen the foundations of global security.  
Expanding the geography of cooperation and enhancing the stability margin with the help of detente models is more relevant today than ever. The choice in favor of the chairmanship of Azerbaijan in the Non-Aligned Movement is due to the fact that the relatively young and small country is not only the economic leader of the South Caucasus, but also sets the tone for the expansion of inter-civilization dialogue and makes a strong contribution to international cooperation through major infrastructure projects in the oil and gas, transport and communications sectors. TANAP, TAP, Southern Gas Corridor, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars and other projects successfully interconnect large regions of Eurasia, creating universal opportunities for ongoing diversification and benefiting many countries.     
The states from different continents that supported Azerbaijan’s chairmanship of NAM expressed a vote of confidence in the innovative concept of President Ilham Aliyev, which has markedly changed the socio-economic face of not only his country, but also of the large communications and border region of Eurasia. In other words, the peace and development within Azerbaijan and outside its national borders is a unique and universal positioning model.
Armed with this model, neighboring and partner countries jointly carry out working and promising plans and ideas that are correlated with the fundamental principles of NAM. Known as the Bandung Principles, these principles imply strict respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. They reject interference in the internal affairs of states and envisage the protection of mutual interests and promotion of cooperation. All this exactly coincides with the priorities of domestic and foreign policy of Azerbaijan, and seeing firsthand the uniformity of goals and ongoing initiatives, the countries of the developing world unanimously give their preferences to the successful policy of Baku, which offers a completely pragmatic and robust plan for joint action.
One of the most important global initiatives of President Ilham Aliyev, fully supported by the public, is the Baku Process, which is a worthy and highly functional example of the action required. In the face of rapidly growing challenges, where the number of unstable regions is steadily increasing, Baku offers an intensive regime of dialogue and targeted interaction. It is on its basis that new policies adequate to the conditions and circumstances of the present day come to life.   
Addressing the participants of the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement and the public, the Azerbaijani leader once again reiterated why the traditions of tolerance and multiculturalism are of crucial importance for his country. Being a conscious choice of the people and their national elite, multiculturalism rejects all forms of violence and segregation and elevates ethno-religious equality to the status of a norm. Without stability and an orderly environment, there can be no movement forward. This is evidenced by the situation in the South Caucasus, where the expansionist policy of Armenia constantly poses various risks and dangers.
It is no coincidence that in his address to the high-level audience and the public, President Ilham Aliyev pointed to the disastrous consequences of the Karabakh war, emphasizing that the groundless territorial claims of Yerevan have led to complex and destructive consequences. Armenia, having committed an armed invasion of Azerbaijani territories and having implemented an ethnic cleansing policy in the conflict zone, has caused a humanitarian catastrophe, where more than a million Azerbaijanis have found themselves in the situation of refugees and internally displaced persons. Yerevan has also committed the Khojaly genocide, which has been recognized by more than ten countries, and if it had not been for the trend of double standards, Armenia, with its destructive and dangerous policies, would have long ago received the deserved worldwide condemnation and contempt. 
But today the world finally understands that the truth and justice are on the side of Azerbaijan, which has paid an exorbitant price for national independence and for defending the principle of justice in upholding the historical truth.
“Armenia has destroyed all historical monuments, mosques and cemeteries and looted museums and material and spiritual valuables in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Deliberately trying to erase the Azerbaijani footprint in the occupied territories, Yerevan is replacing all place names by Armenian ones. Contrary to international humanitarian law, Armenia also pursues a policy of illegal resettlement and engages in illegal economic activities in the occupied territories,” President Ilham Aliyev stressed.   
Of course, criminal activity has been reliably prevented, and the grave consequences of Armenian vandalism will be eradicated and the truth will surely triumph. Azerbaijan, by the example of itself and its western neighbor, has once again shown what the vicious culture of building a mono-ethnic state leads to and what is the consequence of ignoring the policy of multiculturalism.
After eight years of membership in the Non-Aligned Movement, Azerbaijan has achieved a rightful triumph, because the progressive policy of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and his worthy successor Ilham Aliyev has contributed to the creation of functional development paradigms deriving from the wave of requests and expectations of contemporaries and new generations. That’s why the Azerbaijani leader has proposed intensifying the efforts to consolidate peace, detente and real development, and his imperatives have received understanding and universal approval.}  

_{Ravan Hasanov,
Executive Director of the Baku International Multiculturalism Center}