Croatian diplomat presents 18,528-country relationship project at UN in New York

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By Nada P Matulich

NEW YORK – A Croatian diplomat has presented a project documenting bilateral relationships between every pair of the 193 United Nations member states at UN headquarters in New York during the high-level week of the 81st UN General Assembly.

The Bilateral Navigator, created by Croatian Ambassador to Sweden and Latvia Dr Siniša Grgić, consists of 18,528 bilateral reports covering every unique relationship between the 193 UN member states.

The project was presented at the UN under the auspices of the President of the UN General Assembly, Dr Khalilur Rahman, with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman and former UN General Assembly President Dr Srgjan Kerim among those taking part.

According to the project, its aim is to provide structured information about relationships between countries, bringing together data and analysis covering areas including politics, diplomacy, economics, trade, investment, history and culture.

The Bilateral Navigator’s methodology applies a common framework to all 18,528 country pairs. Its website says the project draws on thousands of indicators and sources, while also incorporating contributions from diplomats, ambassadors, consuls and international experts.

A Croatian project with a global scope

Speaking at the presentation, Rahman highlighted the potential practical use of the Navigator for the international diplomatic community, particularly as a reference before bilateral meetings and official visits.

The project website describes the work as a growing reference library of country-to-country relationships, with more than 1,000 contributors involved in developing the material.

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Grgić also reflected on his first involvement with the United Nations three decades ago, when he entered the organisation’s New York headquarters representing a Croatian non-governmental organisation during the period when Croatia was strengthening its international position.

Three decades later, he returned to the same building as a Croatian ambassador to present a project covering relationships between every UN member state.

The project combines human contributions with data analysis and technology. Grgić has also written about the use of artificial intelligence in the Bilateral Navigator, describing it as a system in which the underlying analytical framework and methodology were designed by humans while AI-assisted processes are used to carry out the work at scale.

Croatia’s 192 bilateral relationships

A complete Croatian collection of the Navigator was also presented at the Permanent Mission of Croatia to the United Nations.

The collection comprises 192 volumes, covering Croatia’s relationship with each of the other UN member states.

The project has already been used in diplomatic settings. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Zagreb, Plenković presented him with a copy of Croatia & India: Bilateral Navigator for Diplomats and Business, which the Croatian Government described as a comprehensive comparative overview of the two countries and their bilateral relationship.

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The broader Navigator project is intended to provide comparable information for all country pairs, including relationships that have traditionally received little dedicated analysis.

Its methodology includes comparisons across areas such as geography, demographics, economic relations, international relations, political systems, business, communications and culture.

From a Croatian idea to a global reference project

The presentation in New York placed a project developed by a Croatian diplomat before an international diplomatic audience during one of the UN calendar’s most important annual gatherings.

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With 18,528 bilateral reports covering the full network of relationships between the 193 UN member states, the Bilateral Navigator represents an attempt to create a single structured reference system for understanding how countries are connected.

For Croatia, the project also provides a distinctive example of a Croatian diplomatic initiative developed around international relations, data and technology and presented on the global stage.