Minister Grlić Radman pays working visit to Cyprus

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Thursday paid a working visit to Cyprus, where he met with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides.

The talks with Anastasiades focused on the two countries’ friendly bilateral relations and the prospects of strengthening the cooperation.

Grlić Radman thanked his counterpart Christodoulides for Cyprus’ financial assistance after the earthquake that had hit central Croatia. The two ministers highlighted good and friendly bilateral relations, to be further solidified by the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on political consultations between Croatia and Cyprus’ ministries of foreign affairs. Grlić Radman and Christodoulides agreed that there was room to advance economic cooperation, notably in petrochemical, pharmaceutical, food and textile industry, as well as in IT, agriculture and shipbuilding.

Underscoring the Mediterranean dimension shared by the two countries, Grlić Radman thanked Christodoulides for Cyprus’ support for Croatia joining the OECD, Eurozone and the Schengen Area, emphasizing Croatia’s intention to join MED7.

In addition, Grlić Radman said that Croatia supported a peaceful solution to the Cyprus issue that would be compatible with the relevant UN resolutions, international law and the EU acquis communautaire, and which would result in the unification of the island in a bicommunal, bizonal federation with single sovereignty.

Grlić Radman underscored Croatia’s solidarity with the countries most exposed to migratory pressure. “Close cooperation and working with regional and international partners remain the pillars of strategic and comprehensive migration management,” he said. The minister also presented the measures Croatia is taking to protect the EU’s external border from illegal crossings, human trafficking and secondary movements.

In that context, Grlić Radman mentioned Bosnia and Herzegovina, since the issue of security has come to the forefront during the migrant and humanitarian crisis in the country. He stressed the importance of a stable Bosnia and Herzegovina, based on the equality of the three constituent peoples and the Election Act reforms – one of the key factors in ensuring the country’s long-term stability and functionality.

Welcoming the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, Christodoulides said it provided a strong incentive for additional advancement of bilateral cooperation. He added that there already was a strong interest for cooperation between research institutes and universities. The minister also underlined the importance of solving migration issues on the EU level.

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