Croatia plans to participate in a conference marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement, to be held in Belgrade in September this year, and it believes that its forthcoming accession to the European Union does not rule out development of relations with members of that movement, the Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry said on Monday.
The conference marking the 50th anniversary of the Non-Aligned Movement will be held in the Serbian capital on September 5-6 and it is expected to be attended by representatives of all countries of the former Yugoslavia, which was one of the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961. The movement today has 181 members.
Croatia, one of the 18 countries with observer status in the organisation, plans to send a representative to the conference, but it still has not been decided at what level.
"The fact that Croatia is a candidate for EU membership does not prevent it from developing relations with members of the Non-Aligned Movement, where Croatia has observer status," said Ministry spokesman Mario Dragun.
"Quite the contrary, participation in various international and regional meetings, including those of the Non-Aligned Movement, can be a significant contribution to better understanding among countries and to strengthening the political, economic and multilateral cooperation on many issues of global importance," he added.
Officials at the Foreign Ministry believe that such an approach complements Croatia's future membership of the EU and participation in the creation and implementation of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy.
Croatia's observer status in the Non-Aligned Movement means that it does not participate in sessions of its working bodies, but that it follows plenary ministerial sessions and summits.
This makes it possible for the country to hold numerous bilateral meetings and build closer diplomatic relations, as well as to promote its interests in international organisations, said Dragun.
The Non-Aligned Movement was established in Belgrade in 1961 at the initiative of the then President of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Naser, Ghanian President Kwame Nkrumah and Indonesian President Sukarno.
The five leaders advocated a middle course for states in the Developing World between the Western and Eastern blocs in the Cold War.
