Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju will lead the Indian delegation to the High-Level Commemorative Meeting in Belgrade, Serbia, scheduled from August 31 to September 1, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. The gathering marks the 65th anniversary of the inaugural Non-Aligned Movement summit.
Belgrade Meeting Commemorates 1961 Founding Summit
According to Ministry of External Affairs statements, the high-level event commemorates the First Conference of Heads of State or Government of the Non-Aligned Movement held in Belgrade in 1961. The conference operates under the theme ‘The Legacy of Non-Alignment: Lessons for Today’s World’.
India is a founding member of the organization, which currently unites 121 developing countries on a platform of historical significance. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that India remains committed to the core principles and values of the movement.
The Non-Aligned Movement traces its historical roots to the 1955 Bandung Conference in Indonesia. At that gathering, Asian and African nations championed principles of national sovereignty, peaceful coexistence, non-interference in domestic affairs, and firm opposition to colonialism.
India’s Diplomatic Focus on Cross-Border Terrorism
India’s participation in the Belgrade commemoration follows its active diplomatic engagement at the 19th NAM Mid-Term Ministerial Meeting held in Kampala, Uganda, in October 2025. At that forum, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh placed cross-border terrorism at the center of India’s multilateral messaging.
According to coverage, Singh addressed the Kampala session by describing terrorism as a shared global threat that requires deeper international cooperation to resolve. Singh stated that India has spent decades as a victim of barbaric cross-border attacks, referencing an incident on April 22, 2025, in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where tourists were killed.
During the Kampala ministerial meeting, Singh took a direct diplomatic stand against state-sponsored militancy. Without naming the country directly, he criticized a United Nations Security Council member state for defending the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack—specifically identifying The Resistance Front—and seeking to remove public references to the group from official deliberations.
Singh emphasized that the Non-Aligned Movement must maintain zero tolerance for terrorism, warning that any sponsorship or cover-up of militant networks ultimately backfires on the supporting states.
Multilateral Role and Regional Representation
With Kiren Rijiju heading the delegation to Serbia, New Delhi intends to reinforce its historical dedication to multilateralism while maintaining visibility for its anti-terrorism positions. The movement continues to advocate for the collective interests of developing nations within the United Nations system.
Other international delegations are also scheduled to attend the Belgrade anniversary conference. Foreign Minister Khanal of Nepal cancelled a planned visit to Serbia following devastating floods in Nepal, according to regional reports from NepalNews and Ekantipur. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s Parliament Speaker is scheduled to represent Baku at the conference, as reported by the Caspian Post, and Mahama will attend on behalf of Ghana, according to Modern Ghana.
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