DUSHANBE, July 13, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- President Emomali Rahmon today morning departed for Egypt to attend the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit that is taking place in Sharm el-Sheikh, according to presidential press service.

Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi, State Adviser to the Tajik President for International Matter Erkin Rahmatulloyev and a number of other high-ranking Tajik state officials are accompanying Rahmon on this trip.

President Rahmon is expected to hold a number of meetings with heads of delegations on the sidelines of the summit.

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is an international organization of states considering themselves not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.  The movement is largely the brainchild of Gamal Abdul Nasser, former president of Egypt, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito.  It was founded in April 1955; it now has 119 members.  The purpose of the organization as stated in the Havana Declaration of 1979 is to ensure the national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned countries" in their "struggle against imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism and all forms of foreign aggression, occupation, domination, interference or hegemony as well as against great power and bloc politics.  They represent nearly two-thirds of the United Nations’ members and comprise 55 percent of the world population, particularly countries considered to be developing or part of the third world.