Dr. Siniša Grgić presents bilateral navigator at the United Nations

During the "high-level week" of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where leaders from all nations traditionally gather, a Croat had the opportunity to present his original project for the first time—the "Bilateral Navigator."

Why is this project exceptionally significant for Croatia? The Bilateral Navigator, authored by the Croatian Ambassador, Dr. Siniša Grgić, is a unique series of 18,528 bilateral editions covering all mutual relations between all 193 member states of the United Nations.

The project was presented at the United Nations Headquarters under the patronage of the President of the UN General Assembly, Dr. Khalilur Rahman. This represents the highest international recognition a Croatian diplomat could receive, which was further confirmed by the attendance of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Gordan Grlić Radman, the former President of the Republic of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, and the President of the 62nd session of the UN General Assembly, Dr. Srgjan Kerim.

The President of the UN General Assembly, Dr. Rahman, particularly emphasized the value of the project for the international diplomatic community, calling it "Croatia's gift to the world."

Speaking about the practical value of the Navigator, he stressed that it allows diplomats to quickly familiarize themselves with relations between countries prior to bilateral meetings and official trips, noting that he had not previously seen a similarly comprehensive source. He specifically called for its further expansion, regular updates, and the development of an electronic version of the project to make this knowledge accessible to as many users as possible.

On this occasion, Prime Minister Plenković explicitly highlighted the contribution of the Croatian Ambassador, Dr. Grgić. Reflecting on the 18,528 editions, the Prime Minister emphasized that the project represents a significant contribution and innovation by Croatia, serving not only diplomats but also businesspeople, travelers, and individuals from the worlds of science, culture, and the economy.

A particularly emotional moment was the speech by the author himself. Dr. Grgić recalled his beginnings at the United Nations thirty years ago, when he entered the same building with the ID badge of a small Croatian non-governmental organization, fighting for the international recognition and strengthening of Croatia's international standing. Today, three decades later, he returned to that exact same building as a Croatian ambassador—with a project spanning 18,528 bilateral editions. He pointed out that the project was created with the goal of viewing relations between states through structured data, history, economy, politics, culture, and other relevant indicators, enabling a better understanding of ties between any two countries.

According to Bilateral Navigator data, the project involves more than a thousand contributors and over six hundred honorary consuls, further demonstrating its international scope.

During the stay in New York, the complete Croatian collection of the Bilateral Navigator was also presented at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Croatia to the United Nations—consisting of 192 books, each dedicated to Croatia's relations with every other UN member state.

With this, Croatian diplomacy in New York now has at its disposal a complete collection detailing the bilateral relations of the Republic of Croatia with all other members of the United Nations.

From scientific diplomacy and international cooperation to showcasing Croatian innovations—New York was once again a place where Croatian people, knowledge, and projects garnered international attention.

The success of Dr. Grgić and the Bilateral Navigator represents a powerful contribution to Croatia's international visibility and serves as an example of how a Croatian idea, knowledge, and diplomatic experience can be transformed into a project of global reach, writes Nada Pritisanac Matulich from New York.

Source: HRT