Đurić and Heads of Delegation Plant Tree in Friendship Park

Addressing those gathered, the Serbian Foreign Minister expressed his particular pleasure at being in Friendship Park today, at a place that for more than six decades has preserved the memory of one of the most important moments in the history of Belgrade and of the Non-Aligned Movement.

“Since 1961, numerous leaders and friends of our country have left their mark here by planting trees as a simple yet enduring symbol of friendship. Many of these trees have endured for decades, through changing times and profound transformations in the world, and they still stand here today, reminding us that whatever we collectively wish to endure, and whatever we devote our joint efforts to, can indeed stand the test of time,” Đurić emphasised.

As he pointed out, this applies both to the strong trees lining the park and to the friendships that our country forged at the time and continues to nurture to this day. He added that it was a particular honour to continue this tradition as we mark the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement.

“Our friendships endure because they are founded on the recognition and consistent application of the values and ideas embraced by the Non-Aligned Movement as its guiding principles: that relations among states should be based on respect, equality and independence, and on the right of every nation to determine its own future. We deeply value the friendships we have built with countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and other parts of the world, and we strive to ensure that they do not remain merely part of history or a memory of times gone by,” Đurić said.

“We want these friendships to continue to thrive through the people who come to Serbia today to study, forge friendships and take a part of Serbia with them when they return to their home countries.

“The ‘World in Serbia’ programme, through which young people from numerous friendly countries come to study in our country, is one of the most important ways of ensuring that the legacy of the Movement is not preserved solely in archives and history books. Just as we are planting a tree today that we hope will endure for decades, we also aspire to build bonds between people that will endure long after us,” Đurić concluded.

Symbolically, as he noted, another tree is being added to this legacy today.

“May it grow here, among the trees planted decades ago by our friends and, indeed, the founding fathers of the Non-Aligned Movement. And may it serve as yet another sign that this friendship is not a closed chapter in history. Like these trees, our friendship and cooperation stand the test of time because they grow in the fertile soil of unity and faith in the universality of the ideals of our Non-Aligned Movement,” Minister Marko Đurić said.

In keeping with tradition and in commemoration of this year’s conference, Minister Đurić signed the Friendship Park guest book, followed by the other heads of delegation.

Friendship Park was established in 1961 on the occasion of the First Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement. On milestone anniversaries of the Movement, a tree is traditionally planted in the park as a symbol of the pursuit of peace, equality and cooperation.