Members of the Non-Aligned Movement should gain a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev said during a speech in Baku at the summit of the movement's contact group dedicated to the fight against COVID-19.

Earlier, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, speaking at the summit, expressed the opinion that the UN Security Council is ineffective today, its composition should be expanded to make it more representative and geographically fairer.

"In the process of reforming the United Nations, the members of the Non-Aligned Movement should gain a permanent seat in the Security Council," Mirziyoyev's press service quoted Mirziyoyev as saying.

The President of Uzbekistan noted that global solutions to the conflicts that have persisted for a long time in the Middle East and Afghanistan have not yet been found.

"I would like to emphasize in particular the increasing urgency of expanding practical cooperation within the organization in the context of the threat of terrorism and extremism that has recently been increasing in all countries," Mirziyoyev said.

The President of Uzbekistan also called on the movement to lead the efforts of its participants to strengthen the international legal framework in the fight against all manifestations of terrorism.

"I am firmly convinced that this will further enhance the multilateral cooperation of all member states of the movement within the framework of the UN," Mirziyoyev added.

The Non-Aligned Movement was formed in 1961 to defend the interests of developing countries in the face of Cold War confrontation. The movement has 120 countries or 60% of the UN membership. 17 States and 10 organizations have observer status in the organization.

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