Non-Aligned Movement’s 60th Anniversary Summit Begins in Belgrade

60th anniversary of the First Conference of Non-Aligned Countries Belgrade,(BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV/MO)

A high-level two-day summit commemorating the 60th anniversary of the First Conference of Non-Aligned Countries began in Belgrade on Oct. 11.

The conference, held at the Belgrade Fair grounds, is being attended by Serbia’s highest officials as well as nine delegations from international organizations and the representatives of 105 foreign states. The latter include delegates from Russia, which received observer status within the Movement in July and marks its first presence at a Non-Aligned gathering. The Non-Aligned Movement was founded at the height of the Cold War, in an attempt to balance out the tensions between the USSR and the U.S.

Prior to the summit’s opening, Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic and Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic welcomed the delegation heads in the presence of numerous domestic and foreign media, with plans for holding a series of bilateral meetings later in the day.

Joining Vucic and Selakovic are Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, Parliament Speaker Ivica Dacic and numerous cabinet ministers.

Aside from the conference hall’s entrance points, BETA journalists did not notice any additional security or increased police presence and, while the area is being surveyed by helicopters, traffic flows remain uninterrupted. The summit is being held in accordance with the strictest epidemic safety measures.

The First Conference of Non-Aligned Countries was held in 1961 in Belgrade, then capital of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a founding country of the Non-Aligned Movement. Today, Serbia holds the status of observer within the Movement.