President John Dramani Mahama has arrived in Belgrade, Serbia, to participate in a high-level meeting marking the 65th anniversary of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
President Mahama’s participation highlights Ghana’s historic role as a founding member of the movement, which was established in 1961 to provide developing countries with an independent diplomatic path amid the Cold War rivalry between the Western and Soviet blocs.
The meeting, being hosted by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, is being held under the theme, “The Legacy of Non-Alignment: Lessons for Today’s World.”
The gathering is expected to reaffirm NAM’s founding principles, including sovereign equality among nations, respect for territorial integrity, non-interference in the internal affairs of states and stronger economic cooperation among developing countries.
More than 30 countries from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America are expected to participate in the high-level meeting.
With 120 member states, the Non-Aligned Movement is the largest grouping of countries outside the United Nations.
Ghana played a prominent role in the movement’s formation under its first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who worked alongside Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and Indonesian President Sukarno in advancing the vision of non-alignment.
President Mahama’s presence at the anniversary meeting therefore places Ghana once again at the centre of discussions on the relevance of non-alignment and its principles in addressing contemporary global challenges.
