site.btaPresident Plevneliev Takes Part in 3rd Global Baku Forum

President Plevneliev  Takes Part in  3rd Global Baku Forum

Baku, April 28 (BTA) - The policy of great powers, with their
interests, spheres of influence and a periphery between them,
causes the existence of frozen conflicts, said President Rosen
Plevneliev here during the opening session of the 3rd Global
Baku Forum, organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center
 and the Club de Madrid. Closing one's eyes to this threat is
not a sustainable political solution, he added, quoted by his
Press Secretariat Tuesday.

This year's Global Forum is dedicated to Building Trust in the
Emerging World Order and was opened by Azerbaijan's President
Ilham Aliyev. The forum is attended by participants from close
to 60 countries, including around 40 current and former heads of
 state from across the world and 200 senior-level government
representatives, MEPs and national parliament members from
Europe, Asia and Africa, the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe, the Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development, UNESCO, the World Leadership
Alliance-Club de Madrid, the Club of Rome, the Women in
Parliaments Global Forum.

The Bulgarian head of State was a special guest during the
Forum's opening session. In his statement, Plevneliev outlined
the key challenges for world order, noting the crises across the
 world have reached a record-high number, which calls for urgent
 action. The President noted that no nation can manage alone,
regardless of the size of its economy and military power. The
world must not go back to the time of great powers, which are
distributing spheres of influence among themselves, he added.

According to Plevneliev, integration and cooperation have
established themselves as the antidote to destabilization. A
proof of this is Europe's history after the bloodshed and
destruction of WWII.

The Bulgarian President described the growing number of frozen
conflicts as a challenge for world peace, voicing concerns that
Eastern Ukraine could turn into another frozen conflict zone.
"We must oppose the wrong and dangerous strategy of keeping
regions, states and peoples unstable and dependent in the
interest of one great power or another, which has decided that
they are in its periphery," Plevneliev said.

Plevneliev argued that the beginning of every crisis is linked
to non-compliance with the rule of law, urging for efficient
mechanisms which can guarantee the rule of law. He underscored
that peace is based on rules, and can only be achieved by
applying those rules, not by every nation following its own
interests. Meanwhile, he stressed the need for an early crisis
identification system, which can be put into action when basic
human values are infringed.

The President recalled that as a result of the Ukrainian crisis,
 Europe is entering a new phase of "cold peace". It is peace
because no one wants war and no one wants to go back to the time
 of the Cold War. The peace is cold, because Russia and the
West, unfortunately, are confronting each other, while the
European Union is trying to remain united regarding the imposing
 of sanctions against Russia, Plevneliev explained.

He voiced concern about the new rising wave of nationalism in
Europe, which is taking advantage of people's fears about
migration, the lack of economic perspective, high unemployment,
etc. "Today, more than ever before, we need modern patriotism
and not nationalism," Plevneliev said. He outlined climate
change, migration, terrorism and security threats as challenges
for world order, which require joint efforts. "We are facing
challenges stemming from lesson unlearned from the past and the
wrong interpretation, even manipulation of history."

In his closing remarks, President Plevneliev said that no matter
 how serious the global challenges we face are, the solutions
cannot be postponed for the next governments or generations.
There is a need to stand up to these problems responsibly, to
not conceal them or put them off, but make sustainable decisions
 together, which can speed up the building of an integrated,
peaceful, humane world order, he said.

President Plevneliev was conferred the Nizami Ganjavi
International Award for contribution to intercultural
understanding, tolerance and respect for global cultural
diversity. The award was presented by former Latvian president
(1999-2007) Vaira Vike-Freiberga and the Director of the
Alexandria Library, Ismail Serageldin.

Among the award recipients are former US president Bill Clinton,
 former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, British Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher and Queen Noor of Jordan.