Serbian, Egyptian FMs plated a tree at Belgrade Park of Friendship
Kamel Amr and Vuk Jeremić in Belgrade
Serbian, Egyptian FMs plated a tree at Belgrade Park of Friendship
It came 50 years since the planting of the first tree in the park, and is meant to symbolize friendship between peoples.
The first tree was planted to honor the first Non Aligned Movement summit held in Belgrade in 1961, and the anniversary of the event is being marked by a gathering in Serbia's capital on September 5-6.
Egypt's Foreign Minister, who is currently presiding over the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), pointed out that delegations from all over the world arrived in Belgrade to pay respect not only to the NAM, but also Serbia, adding that he is honored to walk on the ground that his predecessors once walked on.
"It is a great honor and privilege to be here today. This is a holy place for me, as some of my role models walked on this ground, and until recently I could not have imagined I would have the opportunity to do the same," Amr said.
At the first NAM summit in Belgrade 50 years ago, the four heads of state or government - Indian Prime Minister India Jawaharlal Nehru, and presidents of Indonesia Sukarno, Egypt Gamal Abdel Nasser and Yugoslavia Josip Broz were in the focus of attention. In the years to follow, they played a significant role in the NAM until they left the political stage.
"We hope we will succeed in doing at least a fraction of what our predecessors did for the world when they formed one of the most powerful movements of the 20th century," the Egyptian minister stressed. People came from across the world to pay respects not only to NAM, but also to Serbia and Belgrade, the city that has a special place in our hearts and minds, he said.
Jeremić said that, 50 years ago, Serbia was among the countries that headed the "progressive part of the mankind," and underscored that NAM heads planted the first tree in the Park of Friendship.
"I believe it is very important that Belgrade is hosting such a big event," said Jeremić, adding that more than two thirds of the world is in Belgrade since over 100 delegations are taking part in the NAM Conference.
"These are the countries with which Serbia has extremely good and close relations. They proved their friendship, and we will continue fostering the strongest possible relations with them," Jeremić said.
Having planted the tree, the two ministers left for the Serbian Foreign Ministry building, where they will hold a bilateral meeting.
