First conference of Croatian honorary consuls

The first conference of Croatian honorary consuls gathered today in Zagreb about 60 Croatian honorary consuls and heads of Croatian Chamber of Commerce offices abroad

The first conference of Croatian honorary consuls gathered today in Zagreb about 60 Croatian honorary consuls and heads of Croatian Chamber of Commerce offices abroad.

The two-day conference organised by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs was opened by Deputy Minister Joško Klisović. The will focus on the best ways to position Croatia in the world, notably in regard to economic and business cooperation, as well as communication and logistical requirements for the post of honorary consul, of which Croatia has 92 abroad.

In her opening address, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić presented the main guidelines of Croatian foreign policy for the next term, which include shifting the focus from the EU accession process to Southeast Europe and Southern Mediterranean.

"Croatia is not a big political or economic player globally, even on the EU level, but it can be one in the region," Pusić said, adding that a stabilising role in Southeast Europe would be Croatia's foreign policy priority.

The other priority will be cooperation with countries of the Southern Mediterranean, especially the African countries that are currently undergoing major political, social and economic changes. Those countries are not entering the EU, but are bound to undergo a process of reconstructing and building institutional infrastructure, and Croatia has ample experience in that, gained during the 10 years of preparing for the EU membership, Pusić said.

She added that 90 per cent of Croatian bilateral relations were outside Europe and concerned the economy, and that Croatian diplomacy would have to concentrate on that as well, in which a large role is expected to be played precisely by honorary consuls.

Minister of Economy Ivan Vrdoljak said that the importance of the honorary consuls lay in their knowledge of specific countries and their economies, based on which they could recommend particular foreign investors specific investment projects in Croatia and facilitate access to new markets for Croatian companies.

Tourism Minister Darko Lorencin said he expected the honorary consuls to be promoters of Croatia as a tourist destination as well, to provide assistance in visa issuance, and to help find good partners for the completion of the tourist sector privatisation.

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