Kiren Rijiju to lead Indian delegation at 65th anniversary of NAM summit in Belgrade

New Delhi, Aug 29 (IANS) Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju will lead the Indian delegation for a High-Level Commemorative Meeting scheduled from August 31-September 1 in Serbia’s capital Belgrade, marking the 65th anniversary of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday.

According to the MEA, the meeting will commemorate the First Conference of Heads of State or Government (HoS/HoG) of NAM.

The theme for the High-Level Commemorative Meeting is ‘The Legacy of Non-Alignment: Lessons for Today’s World’.

“India is a founding member of the movement which brings together 121 developing countries on a platform of historical significance. India remains committed to the principles and values of the movement,” the MEA mentioned.

The NAM traces its origins to the 1955 Bandung Conference in Indonesia, where Asian and African nations promoted principles of sovereignty, peaceful coexistence, non-interference and opposition to colonialism.

Six years later, the movement was formally established at its first summit in Belgrade. Today, NAM continues to champion multilateralism and the interests of developing countries, especially within the United Nations system.

Earlier in October 2025, at the 19th NAM Mid-Term Ministerial in Uganda’s Kampala, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh had underscored the need for global cooperation against the shared threat of cross-border terrorism, highlighting India’s perspective.

Addressing the session, Singh had said, “Terrorism is a shared threat that can be addressed only through deeper international cooperation. For decades, India has been a victim of barbaric cross-border terrorist attacks, most recently on April 22, 2025, when innocent tourists were slaughtered in Pahalgam in Jammu & Kashmir.

“When nations declare terror as state policy, when terror hubs are allowed to proliferate with impunity, when terrorists are glorified by the functionaries of a State, such actions deserve nothing but unequivocal condemnation,” he had said, taking a clear dig at Pakistan.

The MoS had also emphasised that virtually every member of NAM is cognisant of the challenge posed by terrorism and is committed to combating it.

Referring to Pakistan, Singh said, “It is a matter of deep regret that when the UN Security Council deliberated on the Pahalgam terrorist attack, a member state chose to defend the perpetrator – The Resistance Front – to the extent of seeking a deletion of any public reference to them.

“It is imperative that the Non-Aligned Movement display zero tolerance for terrorism. Any sponsorship, support, justification or cover-up of terrorism will come back to bite those who do so,” he stressed.

–IANS

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