Kiren Rijiju meets Serbian FM Marko Duric in Belgrade, eyes stronger India-Serbia ties
Synopsis
On the sidelines of the NAM 65th anniversary commemorative meeting in Belgrade, India's Kiren Rijiju held a bilateral with Serbian FM Marko Duric — a quiet but pointed signal of India's intent to deepen ties with a European nation that has historically shared its non-aligned outlook. The visit also surfaced a living thread of India-Yugoslavia people-to-people links stretching back to the 1960s.
Key Takeaways
Kiren Rijiju met Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Duric in Belgrade on 31 August to discuss bilateral cooperation.
Rijiju is leading India's delegation at the NAM 65th Anniversary High-Level Commemorative Meeting , held 31 August – 1 September .
The meeting's theme is 'The Legacy of Non-Alignment: Lessons for Today's World.' Rijiju paid floral tributes at the Mahatma Gandhi bust in Belgrade and engaged with the Indian diaspora , including a member who settled in the former Yugoslavia after an exchange programme in 1966-67 .
He also visited the Museum of Yugoslavia and the House of Flowers , the mausoleum of former President Josip Broz Tito .
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju met Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Duric in Belgrade on Monday, 31 August, with both sides reviewing the longstanding friendship between the two nations and exploring avenues to deepen bilateral cooperation across sectors of mutual interest. The meeting took place on the sidelines of a high-level diplomatic gathering marking a landmark anniversary of the Non-Aligned Movement.
What Was Discussed
The two leaders exchanged views on furthering India-Serbia relations and identifying new areas of collaboration. Following the meeting, Rijiju described it as 'warm and meaningful,' noting that the two sides discussed 'the longstanding friendship between India and Serbia' and 'further deepening bilateral relations and cooperation across areas of mutual interest.'
NAM Anniversary Meeting in Belgrade
Rijiju is leading the Indian delegation at the High-Level Commemorative Meeting marking the 65th anniversary of the First Conference of Heads of State or Heads of Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). The event, held from 31 August to 1 September in Belgrade, is themed 'The Legacy of Non-Alignment: Lessons for Today's World'. The choice of Belgrade is historically significant — the city hosted the founding NAM summit in 1961, making it a symbolic venue for this commemoration.
Tributes to Gandhi, Engagement With Indian Diaspora
On the eve of the NAM meeting, Rijiju paid floral tributes at the bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Belgrade and held an interaction with members of the Indian community in Serbia. He acknowledged their contribution to strengthening people-to-people ties between the two countries. Among those he met was a diaspora member who recounted her first visit to the then-Yugoslavia through an exchange programme in 1966-67, saying, 'It was between India and Yugoslavia… It brought me here, and I have settled down here.' Rijiju also engaged with children from the Indian community and noted the growing popularity of Indian cuisine in the region, describing the interaction as having 'emotionally charged me up.'
Visit to Yugoslav Heritage Sites
As part of his Belgrade programme, Rijiju visited the Museum of Yugoslavia and the House of Flowers — the mausoleum of former Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito. He noted that the sites offered insight into Yugoslavia's political history, cultural heritage, and the life and legacy of Tito, whose role in co-founding the NAM remains central to the movement's identity.
Context and Significance
India was one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement, with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru playing a pivotal role alongside Tito and Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser in shaping the grouping's founding principles. India's participation in the 65th anniversary event underscores its continued engagement with the NAM framework at a time when global geopolitical alignments are being actively debated. Rijiju's bilateral meeting with the Serbian foreign minister adds a layer of diplomatic substance to what is otherwise a commemorative visit.
Point of View
But the bilateral with Serbian FM Duric signals something more deliberate: India is quietly cultivating ties with Serbia at a moment when Belgrade's EU accession path remains stalled and its geopolitical positioning is in flux. The NAM anniversary is a useful multilateral backdrop, but the real diplomatic currency here is bilateral — and India would do well to build on the historic non-aligned solidarity that once defined both nations' foreign policies. The diaspora interaction, touching as it is, also points to an underexplored soft-power asset: Indian communities embedded in Eastern Europe since the Cold War era, whose networks remain largely untapped by New Delhi.
NationPress
31 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Kiren Rijiju visit Belgrade?
Kiren Rijiju travelled to Belgrade to lead India's delegation at the High-Level Commemorative Meeting marking the 65th anniversary of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), held from 31 August to 1 September 2025. On the sidelines, he also held a bilateral meeting with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Duric to discuss India-Serbia relations.
What is the NAM 65th anniversary meeting about?
The meeting commemorates the 65th anniversary of the first NAM summit, originally held in Belgrade in 1961. Themed 'The Legacy of Non-Alignment: Lessons for Today's World,' it brings together high-level representatives to reflect on the movement's founding principles amid contemporary geopolitical shifts.
What did Rijiju and Serbian FM Marko Duric discuss?
The two leaders reviewed the longstanding friendship between India and Serbia and discussed prospects for deepening bilateral cooperation across areas of mutual interest. No specific sectoral agreements were announced following the meeting.
What did Rijiju do apart from the official meetings?
Rijiju paid floral tributes at the Mahatma Gandhi bust in Belgrade, interacted with Indian diaspora members — including one who settled in the former Yugoslavia through a 1966-67 exchange programme — and visited the Museum of Yugoslavia and the House of Flowers, the mausoleum of former Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito.
What is India's historical connection to the Non-Aligned Movement?
India was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement, with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru playing a central role alongside Yugoslavia's Tito and Egypt's Nasser in establishing the grouping in 1961. India's participation in the 65th anniversary event reaffirms its continued engagement with the NAM framework.
