Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro touted the latest meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), a large Cold War-era bloc, as one that would be remembered for centuries to come.
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Leaders from the 120-nation group will gather for two days on the Caribbean island of Margarita, where Venezuela will take over the movement’s rotating presidency from Iran.
CCTV’s Stephen Gibbs reports from Margarita Island, Venezuela.
Margarita serves as a parable for Venezuela’s economic and social problems. Today it suffers from numerous same problems affecting the rest of Venezuela: basic food shortages, long lines outside of shops and violent crime.
The government has deployed over 14,000 security personnel to the region in a bid to contain any unrest near the summit. The summit is accompanied with an global tension in Venezuela whose economy is devastating as crude oil prices decline.
They held fresh protests Friday after the authorities delayed announcing the timeline for the next step in the process for a second time.
Vice President Hamid Ansari recalled how world leaders at the summit in United Nations in 2005 had called for urgent reform of the Security Council to make the United Nations “fit for the 21st century”.
Mr. Sartaj Aziz also met Iranian Foreign Minister Mr. Jawad Zareef, today, on sidelines of the 17 NAM Summit.
But it appears that heads of states’ attendance at the summit in recession-stricken Venezuela is particularly low, perhaps even in single figures, although the government did not respond to a request for a list of attendees.
The cash-strapped state reportedly spent more than $120 million (107 million euros) in preparation for the summit, despite much of the country suffering from major food shortages and inflation soaring into the triple digits.
The attendance was shy and Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani was among the arrivals. Yet despite the efforts, delegates complained about a lack of organization, delays and shabby hotels, according to Reuters.
The Venezuelan opposition is seeking to oust Maduro at the ballot box with a referendum.
The Declaration adopted by the member countries, recognised the threat posed particularly by the activities by terrorist groups such the Taliban, Al-Qaida, ISIS (Da’esh) and its affiliated entities, Jabhat Al Nusra, Boko Haram and Al Shabab, and the spread of violent extremism which can be conductive to terrorism, pressing for States to prevent and combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, “including its financing and the illicit transfer of weapons, in a decisive and coordinated manner, while adhering to the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, as well as other obligations under worldwide law”.
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The Ministerial segment of the Summit concluded today after finalizing the NAM declaration and the Outcome Document, which will be presented to the Summit for adoption on 18 September 2016.
