Ceremonial occasion held to mark the 150th anniversary of the International Committee of the Red Cross was organized by the National Commission for International Humanitarian Law of the Republic of Serbia in the premises of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia.

Cordially welcoming in his introductory speech numerous guests from the state, expert and academic structures and the diplomatic corps, Ambassador Bozin Nikolic, the Chairman of the Commission, pointed out that the Republic of Serbia is a party to all the Geneva Conventions and their supplementary protocols.

Mr. Zoran Kovacevic, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Multilateral Cooperation, recalled that in Serbia "the ideas and objectives of the International Committee of the Red Cross were recognized and embraced soon after its establishment." Moreover, he stressed that "what remains is the commitment to adhere to the fundamental ideas of this organization and the values it promotes in the future as well - protection of victims in armed conflict and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles".

Representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mrs. Dragana Kojic, thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia and the National Commission for International Humanitarian Law for organizing this ceremony, stressing that "the ties between the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Republic of Serbia date back to the distant past".

The President of Serbia's Red Cross, Professor Dragan Radovanovic, pointed out that "we can proudly recall that the Serbian Red Cross Society organization had been among the first 15 to be established in the world", highlighting that "the years to come will bring new challenges and serious tasks before the Red Cross in Serbia".

Among the numerous guests, the ceremony was attended by the deans of international humanitarian law, among others, Professor Milan Sahovic and Professor Vida Cok, as well as Dr. Bosko Jakovljevic, who had been awarded with the Henri Dunant Medal in 2011.