KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 10 Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali has underlined the relevance of Bandung principles as time-tested and sacrosanct ideals for peaceful global order. Addressing the annual ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement held virtually on the margins of the 75th session of United Nations General Assembly, he said, “Sixty-five years ago, 29 Asian African countries, including my own country Nepal, assembled in Bandung conference with the shared aspiration of peace, prosperity, harmony and justice. The leaders stood for equality among nations, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference and economic cooperation. The ten principles enunciated in the Bandung declaration laid the foundation of the NAM,” he said. “They bear even greater meaning today when the very foundation of cooperative global order confronts parochial nationalism and the return of geopolitics,” he added. While highlighting the impacts of COVID-19, on the poorest and most vulnerable countries and people, he called for greater international collaboration and support in their recovery efforts. He underscored the need to strengthen cooperation among multilateral institutions so that all nations can coexist in dignity and contribute to the shared goals of peace, prosperity and justice. “With its numerical and moral strength, NAM should claim its rightful place and amplify the voice of the weak and vulnerable countries. NAM must prove itself as a collective voice of reason and a source of strength to its membership,” he said. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as many as 54 speakers, including 36 ministers from NAM member states, addressed the meeting. A version of this article appears in print on October 11, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.