Foreign Affairs Ministers of NAM countries

South Sudan has been officially admitted to the global Non-Aligned Movement, according to the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Deng Dau says this was during the ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement’s coordinating bureau in Baku, Azerbaijan yesterday.

The Non-Aligned Movement is the world’s second-largest organization, after the United Nations with the membership of up to 120 countries, including 53 African countries.

Cited in the Ministry’s Official Facebook page, Minister Deng Dau said South Sudan’s admission to the global movement “represents an opportunity to strengthen diplomatic ties with other member states, potentially leading to increased trade, investment, and development opportunities.”

Further, he said the membership “gives South Sudan a global platform to express concerns and interests, particularly on issues of peace and security, development, and human rights.”

Dau reportedly met with Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan, Qatar, and Malaysia on the sidelined of the meeting where they “discussed bilateral relations between the countries and South Sudan as well as the situation in the Republic of Sudan.

The admission of South Sudan comes about a month after South Sudan Cabinet Affairs Minister Dr. Elia Lumoro announced that the government applied for membership in the global movement.