Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia and author of a series of bilateral publications, Dr. Siniša Grgić:

"Thank you, Prime Minister. Thank you, Mr. President (of the UN General Assembly). I also wish to thank the Minister of Foreign Affairs and dear friend; former President Grabar-Kitarović, who introduced me to Croatian diplomacy; and my dear friend Srgjan (Kerim), who helped me organize this at the United Nations.

This is a genuine pleasure and a great honor, as my beginnings and my entire professional career started right here in this building: in the early 1990s, I fought for independence by visiting these very offices with a small non-governmental organization—the only Croatian association accredited by the UN—carrying a plastic ID card much like this one, only it simply read 'NGO.' And now, thirty years later, I return to this building, immensely proud, with 18,528 different titles.

Regarding our contribution to the world: we discovered that only three percent of global bilateral relationships had ever been documented in book form. Using modern technology, we have made them all available at once. Books are not merely wonderful gifts; they are highly informative. They offer a perspective on the relationship between any two countries—and, most importantly, a perspective viewed through the lens of one's own country, enabling a better understanding of the other." "I am delighted that over a thousand ambassadors from around the world have already contributed to our initiative—giving interviews—and that more than six hundred honorary consuls are participating with their own contributions. This is becoming a massive wave, just as we predicted. Yet, even in our wildest dreams, we never imagined that one day we would come to the United Nations to celebrate this project with you all here.

I also wish to thank the colleagues who helped me build this institution: Yaakov, Robert, Bruce, and the other Jakov, as well as David, who traveled here from Australia. They helped us build the think tank behind all of this, supported by a vast network of collaborators worldwide; our goal is to reach tens of thousands of contributors by the end of the year. Once again, thank you for this opportunity. This is a day I will remember for the rest of my life."

UN General Assembly President Dr. Khalilur Rahman:

"You are most welcome; the thanks are truly mine. My friend and 'brother' Srgjan Kerim gave me the first book to look through—'Bangladesh and Kuwait'—and I was amazed. He asked me, 'Do you know how many books like this there are?' I asked, 'How many?' Well, every country has one for every other country—covering all 193 nations—totaling over 18,000 books. This is a monumental undertaking. Monumental.

I wonder what kind of wall I’m going to need." And this is no joke: this needs to be placed somewhere people can come and browse through it, so I will try to find a few walls where we could house all these books. And then I also need to find the funds for the shelving... It is an ongoing task, too, because the world will change, the figures will change, and relationships will shift. But a major effort is underway.

Congratulations to you once again, as well as to President Grabar-Kitarović for bringing you into the diplomatic fold. It is fortunate for the world that you chose diplomacy. Congratulations also to everyone who collaborated on this project. One day, you will likely feel happy knowing that diplomats everywhere are using it; therein lies the true satisfaction—that we, ordinary people, managed to make at least a small, yet positive, contribution to the world. Congratulations, and thank you for these wonderful publications. I also call upon the Prime Minister to continue his support."

President of the 62nd Session of the UN General Assembly, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, Dr. 𝗦𝗿𝗴𝗷𝗮𝗻 𝗞𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺:

"Allow me to add just one sentence, for as you know, I am an economist, and it is a professional habit of mine to verify everything. I checked how many bilateral meetings took place this week—right here—to confirm our relevance. One thousand one hundred, my dear President—that is how many bilateral meetings we held this week alone." Which means: we are more than relevant."

President of the UN General Assembly, Dr. Khalilur Rahman:

"Still far more books than meetings—we’ll have to step up our game! You see, this week I met with nearly one hundred and twenty dignitaries from all over the world. If I’d had the books sooner, I would have gone through them the night before the meetings and known everything. My office prepares me, but this is far better: you notice things that others might miss."

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, Dr. Gordan Grlić Radman:

"Srgjan also served as Foreign Minister of Macedonia—before the country changed its name—and was very successful, just as he was at the helm of the General Assembly; he also represents Croatia in part, as he is half-Croatian. Your presence is a great honor for us. This book has become a diplomatic tool: it has facilitated my communication with colleagues. I held many bilateral meetings yesterday, and this is the best gift we have ever received; every minister I met was genuinely delighted. Through our excellent ambassador in Stockholm, Croatia has shown its respect by creating a book like this."