MoS Lekhi to visit Serbia to attend 60th anniversary of Non-Aligned Movement
Oct 09, 2021
New Delhi [India] October 9 : Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture (MoS) Meenakashi Lekhi is set to visit Belgrade from October 10-13 as the Special Envoy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the high-level commemorative meeting to mark the 60th Anniversary of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
On the sidelines of the NAM meeting, minister Lekhi is also likely to attend the Meeting of Women Heads of Delegations and Ministers of Foreign Affairs being hosted by the President of the 76th United Nations General Assembly at the UN House in Belgrade.
The 60th Anniversary of the NAM Commemorative Meeting is being jointly co-hosted by Alexsander Vucic who is the President of Serbia and NAM Chair President Aliyev of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
During the visit, MoS will also hold bilateral discussions with Branislav Nedimovic who is the Deputy PM and Minister of Agriculture, Nebojsa Stefanovic, Deputy PM and Minister of Defence, Maja Gojkovic, Deputy PM and Minister of Culture and Information, and Tatjana Matic, who is the Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, the statement said.
The first NAM Conference was held in Belgrade in 1961 and it provides an opportunity to reflect on how the Movement can respond to complex global challenges more effectively, guided by its founding principles of mutual respect, solidarity and cooperation.
India and Serbia historically enjoy close and friendly relations. A bilateral Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) will also be signed during the visit to further strengthen cooperation in the fields of Culture and Arts. MoS will be delivering a lecture on 'Structure of Judiciary in India' at the Law Faculty of the University of Belgrade, the statement informed.
During the visit, Lekhi will also formally unveil the bust of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore in Belgrade. In addition, she will interact with members of the Indian community and friends of India, and also visit Matica Srpska, the oldest Serbian literary, cultural and scientific society, and discuss ways for greater cooperation with institutions in India.
