Minister Grabar-Kitarović received Polish Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga

Both confirmed the existence of very good political and economic relations between the two friendly countries with no open issues, pointing out that this year will mark the 15th anniversary of the setting up of diplomatic relations between Croatia and Poland.

Both ministers agreed that there is room for the deepening of the co-operation. The Croatian side is interested in the co-operation on transferring the experiences in the EU accession process, with a special emphasis on the use and implementation of the EU pre-accession assistance, as well as cohesion and structural funds later on. The economic co-operation is developing and growing stronger, with the trade increasing for 33%, while the number of Polish tourist grew up by 14% in 2006, said Minister Grabar-Kitarović.

Minister Grabar-Kitarović informed Minister Fotyga about the course of Croatia’s EU membership negotiations, expressing the expectations that the dynamic of the process will further intensify in the coming period.

The Republic of Poland, as an important EU and NATO member, is offering full support for Croatia in acceding to the Euro-Atlantic integration, said Minister Fotyga, pointing out she sees Croatia as a country with a clear perspectives of joining the EU and the most important partner in South East Europe. In that regard, Poland is willing to share its experiences in acceding to the Euro-Atlantic integration with Croatia, said Minister Fotyga.

Apart from the bilateral relations, the meeting also discussed the current state of affairs in South East Europe. In that regard, Minister Grabar-Kitarović noted the SEECP, which Croatia is currently presiding over, and Croatia’s CEFTA enlargement initiative, with the aim of strengthening the economic co-operation among the countries in the region. The two ministers also reviewed the issues concerning global security and the co-operation between the two countries within NATO and its ISAF mission to Afghanistan.