The chairman of the Croatian president's council of advisers on foreign affairs and international relations, Budimir Loncar, addressed a conference marking the 50th anniversary of the first summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, in Belgrade on Monday.
A special envoy of the UN secretary-general for the Non-Aligned Movement in the 1990s, Loncar highlighted the need for the reaffirmation of the fundamental values based on which the organisation was created and for international cooperation in facing global challenges.
Loncar said that the world had changed over the last 50 years and that Non-Aligned countries should adapt to the new circumstances.
"I am not nostalgic, but am very proud to be part of this event," Loncar said, adding that the countries of the former Yugoslavia, once they became members of the European Union, would promote stronger ties between Europe and other countries of the world.
Loncar said that the Non-Aligned Movement was based on love for peace, a peaceful settlement of problems, disarmament and respect for international law, the values which he said were still important today.
Noting that currently one of the biggest challenges in the world was the situation in Arab countries, Loncar said that countries should cooperate in facing the challenges that were affecting the whole world.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr, whose country currently holds the presidency of the organisation, said that today's conference showed the strength of the Non-Aligned Movement, adding that the organisation had made progress over time despite the fact that the world was no longer divided in blocs.
Among those who addressed the conference was Serbian President Boris Tadic, who said that although his country was not a member its foreign policy was based on respect for the universal principles of the Non-Aligned Movement.
The ministerial conference, organised to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Belgrade, brought together 105 delegations, including 80 from full members of the Movement, delegations of five former Yugoslav republics, nine observer countries, seven guest countries and four international organisations -- the United Nations, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, the Arab League and the African Union.
Croatia was represented by the State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Mario Nobilo, while Loncar, the last Foreign Minister of Yugoslavia, attended as a special guest.
