Minister Grlić Radman participates in virtual meeting of CEI foreign ministers

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman participated on Thursday in a virtual meeting of the foreign ministers of the Central European Initiative (CEI) member states

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman participated on Thursday in a virtual meeting of the foreign ministers of the Central European Initiative (CEI) member states.

The topic of the meeting was “CEI Region – Transition to a New Normal”. The ministers exchanged views on the new prospects of regional cooperation in recovering from the pandemic as well as on the need to strengthen the CEI, recognizing the important role it had played in responding to the COVID-19 crisis.

Grlić Radman underscored that the global, regional and national experiences in fighting the pandemic were an opportunity to take stock of what had been done and discuss ways to advance future cooperation in dealing with this challenge. He commended the EU and regional organizations’ crisis response efforts.

“On the regional level, we have shown that we are capable of cooperating effectively even in the most difficult circumstances. The opening of green lanes for goods and medical equipment as well as the repatriation of more than half a million of EU citizens are just some of the examples of our successful cross-border and regional cooperation. In addition, we have set up a Joint Working Group in cooperation with the World Health Organization in May, which brings together key health officials from CEI member states and serves as a strategic platform for the exchange of information and experiences,” Grlić Radman said.

The minister then recalled that the Croatian Presidency had activated the Integrated Political Crisis Response (IPCR) mechanism – the EU’s framework for coordination and crises at the highest political level.

“The EU and its member states pledged to a global response package Team Europe in the amount of nearly €36 billion, as a support for countries in the fight against the pandemic. In addition, the EU mobilised a package of over €3.3 billion for the Western Balkan countries, for the health sector and for social and economic recovery. This underscores the need for cooperation and joint efforts on the international level,” said Grlić Radman.

The ministers highlighted the importance of communication, solidarity, cooperation and mutual assistance in times of crises.

The CEI is a regional forum for cooperation in the Central and Eastern Europe, founded in 1989 in Budapest. Today it has 17 member states, which cooperate in three dimensions – governmental, parliamentary and economic. The current chair is Montenegro.

 

Press releases