Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Gordan Jandroković met with newly-appointed OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier

Croatia is among the first countries that OSCE Secretary General Zannier visited after his recent assuming of the secretary general position, on which Minister Jandroković congratulated him personally

Croatia is among the first countries that OSCE Secretary General Zannier visited after his recent assuming of the secretary general position, on which Minister Jandroković congratulated him personally.

The meeting exchanged opinions about a series of topical issues regarding the activities of the OSCE, with an emphasis on the activities of the OSCE Zagreb Office and its mandate. In that regard, Croatia’s active and constructive role in all three OSCE dimensions was pointed out: political and military, economic and environmental, and human. The Croatian side reiterated its full dedication to the further strengthening of the OSCE activities, relevant mechanisms and structure, as well as further profiling of the organization as a forum for the exchange of opinions, dialogue and implementation of the participants’ activities in all of the relevant OSCE domains.

In regard to the completion of the OSCE Zagreb Office’s mandate, Minister Jandroković said that the two remaining issues (monitoring the war crime trials and monitoring the implementation of the Government’s Program for Housing the Returnees/Former Holders of Tenant Rights) had been successfully resolved, as confirmed by meeting the criteria from Chapter 23 of Croatia’s EU negotiations.

Minister Jandroković pointed out that the successful closure of the negotiation had also largely been contributed to by the 15-year-long OSCE presence and activities in Croatia.

The collocutors expressed belief that the OSCE members too would recognize the results and achievements of the OSCE presence in Croatia as an example of a successful partnership and synergy for the whole OSCE region. The status of the OSCE Zagreb Office in light of the achieved results will be discussed at the end of the year, when its mandate will come to an end.

Zannier congratulated on the successful completion of the EU negotiations, the result of which is the achieved level of democratization and the meeting of the criteria stemming from the OSCE membership.

The closing of Croatia’s EU negotiations also sends a strong message to the other candidates and potential candidates from the region to conduct the necessary reforms in the institutional approaching the EU.

Minister Jandroković concluded that Croatia, as a country that had finished the negotiations and was on its way to sign the Accession Treaty, remained fully dedicated to offering assistance and support to the countries in the region encompassed by the EU enlargement process, as well as to the further intensification and deepening of the regional cooperation in South Eastern Europe.

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