Bandung Conference and Non-Aligned Movement (Indonesia, Serbia)

In 1955 African and Asian countries came together in Bandung for the Asian African Conference. The conference was organised by Indonesia, Burma, Pakistan, Ceylon and India. Its aims were the strengthening of economic cooperation between Africa and Asia and the rejection of colonialism. 

Most of the participating countries were newly independent. The participating countries were the Kingdom of Afghanistan, Burma, the Kingdom of Cambodia, Ceylon, the People's Republic of China, pre-independent Cyprus, the Republic of Egypt, the Ethiopian Empire, the Gold Coast, India, Indonesia, Iran, the Kingdom of Iraq, Japan, Jordan, the Kingdom of Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, the Kingdom of Libya, the Kingdom of Nepal, the Dominion of Pakistan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, the Syrian Republic, Sudan, Thailand, Turkey, Yugoslavia, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the State of Vietnam and the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen.

A Second Bandung Conference was held in 2005 and a third in 2015. The conference was an important step toward the Non-Aligned Movement.

The Non-Aligned Movement was founded in Belgrade in 1961. The Non-Aligned Movement refused the forming of power blocs during the Cold War and supported the peaceful coexistence. In 2012 the movement had 120 members.

The Temporary Capital Kaunas (Lithuania)

In 1918 an independent Lithuanian state was formed, but the traditional Lithuanian capital Vilnius was already captured by Polish troops in 1920. So Kaunas became the temporary capital of Lithuania and soon evolved into a new cultural centre of the country. During that time many Lithuanians came back from other European countries with new ideas. Kaunas' time as capital was over when Lithuania joined the Soviet Union in 1940.

The Kaunas of 1919-1940 was awarded the European Heritage Label in 2014.