Addressing the event, which began on Monday in the Serbian capital, the Croatian Foreign Ministry State Secretary Mario Nobilo said today that the guiding principles of the NAM organisation, the rejection of aggression, respect for independence and equality of all nations and peaceful coexistence were today also of crucial importance just as 50 years ago.
Croatia wants to continue nourishing and deepening the relations with the NAM member-states, he added.
Croatia wants to deepen those relations in the struggle against crises such as the current situation in Libya, Syria and in the Middle East and help those countries on the chosen democratic road and during transition, he added.
For us democracy and development are inseparable, they go hand in hand towards achieving viable economic growth, eradication of poverty and famine, disarmament, and the protection of human rights and freedoms, Nobilo said.
Based on its historical connections with the Non-Aligned Movement and being a NATO member and soon a member of the European Union, Croatia sees its role in a multipolar world through cooperation with other countries and organisations in solving global issues and facing new challenges, Nobilo said.
Addressing the ministerial conference, representatives of countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America pointed to the need to support Palestine and underlined the importance of unity among NAM members.
The organisation was founded in Belgrade in 1961, and was largely the brainchild of Yugoslavia's President, Josip Broz Tito, India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, Egypt's second President, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Ghana's first President Kwame Nkrumah, and Indonesia's first President, Sukarno.
The two-day conference in Belgrade brought together officials from more than one hundred countries, the United Nations, the African Union, the Arab League and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.
Croatia is an observer at the NAM, which currently consists of 118 member-countries.