Minister Grabar-Kitarović received NATO Deputy Secretary General Minuto-Rizzo

Minister Grabar-Kitarović informed Deputy Secretary General Minuto-Rizzo about Croatia’s reforms in justice, fighting corruption, refugee return, regional co-operation, as well as Croatia’s role in contributing to peace and stability in the region, and its perspectives and achievements so far in acceding to the EU.

Minister Grabar-Kitarović said that informing the Croatian citizens about Croatia’s EU membership is extremely important, primarily for presenting NATO as an organisation of sovereign states with the role of spreading the democracy and market economy. She explained that Croatia’s NATO membership, along with other advantages, will raise the country’s credit rating and the perception of Croatia as a stable, sovereign, and democratic country.

Deputy Secretary General Minuto-Rizzo commended Croatia’s progress in approaching NATO and expressed support to the heightening of the Croatian public’s awareness about the full NATO membership, adding that the citizens need to be informed about its advantages, such as Croatia’s equal position among other members in the decision-making. He reminded about the fact that NATO is a democratic and political alliance in which decisions are reached by consensus and that the decision on meeting the conditions for a full membership is based on the individual appraisal of each aspirant’s progress.