Croatian Diplomacy Day and 20th anniversary of Diplomatic Academy

(Hina) - Tasks which diplomats are expected to perform are becoming increasingly big and complex, which is why the education of diplomats is crucial, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović said at a ceremony marking Croatian Diplomacy Day

(Hina) - Tasks which diplomats are expected to perform are becoming increasingly big and complex, which is why the education of diplomats is crucial, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović said at a ceremony marking Croatian Diplomacy Day in Zagreb on Tuesday.

Diplomats are expected to be pro-active, have a broad vision and be able to find quick and viable solutions. It is diplomats' duty to open doors to economic cooperation, remove political barriers and political differences in order to facilitate ventures of Croatian business people abroad, the president said at the ceremony which also included a conference on diplomatic training.

"I will continue to be the first business diplomat," Grabar-Kitarović said, calling for investing additional effort to improve Croatia's economic cooperation with other countries.

She recalled in her address the very beginnings of Croatia's diplomacy in the early 1990s when the country fought for its independence and strove for international recognition. Diplomacy was the other front on which Croatia fought for its cause, according to the president.

Foreign Affairs Minister Vesna Pusić commented on Croatia's admission to NATO in 2009 and the European Union in 2013.

We joined both NATO and the EU being level-headed and aware that our membership of NATO and the EU would not offer answers to all our questions and issues, aware that NATO and EU membership is our national choice and that it offers a context in which everything depends on our efforts, strength and competence, Pusić said.

It is our task to position Croatia within that context in such a way to make it possible for the country's influence to exceed its size, the minister said, adding that this was a measure of success of a country's diplomacy.

Pusić also underscored the importance of education of diplomats.

The conference was organised by the Foreign Affairs Ministry in cooperation with the Croatian Diplomats Association and the Hanns Seidel foundation.

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