HAVANA, September 15. /TASS/. The summit of the United Nations Group of 77 plus China began on Friday in the capital of Cuba, which chairs the association this year, with delegations from more than a hundred countries arriving for the opening ceremony at Havana Convention Palace, TASS correspondent reports.

"About 60 years ago, shared problems and the hope that together we could fight them and win, prompted us to form this group. There are more of us now. <...> The best way is cooperation, solidarity and understanding that progress does not tolerate excuses," Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in his opening address.

"I am absolutely convinced that we cannot move forward without solidarity and cooperation. Achieving these goals goes hand in hand with knowledge, science and technology, so we must break down any barriers." He also noted that "one cannot talk about technological advances if there is inequality."

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who arrived in Havana to attend the summit, said his visit was "a show of support for the G77's efforts to bring more justice to international economic and financial relations."

The summit will be held on September 15-16, with the theme of the forum being "Current Development Challenges: Role of Science, Technology and Innovation." Discussions are planned on the reform of international financial institutions, support for developing countries in a difficult economic situation after the pandemic, as well as problems of climate change.

The presidency of the Group of 77 plus China passed to Cuba for the first time in the history of the association. The decision to create the structure was made at a meeting of ministers from developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America in 1964. Initially, the number of countries participating in the organization was 77. Now it is the largest interstate organization of developing countries, acting within the framework of the UN and uniting 134 states with a total population of over 6 billion people.