Minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović at the 3rd Ministerial Conference on the Community of Democracies in Chile

Minister Grabar-Kitarović met yesterday, 28 April 2005, with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Chile, Ignacio Walker. Minister Grabar-Kitarović informed her collocutor about the political situation in Croatia and Croatia’s efforts on its road towards full EU membership. Minster Walker pointed out the important role of Chileans of Croatian descent in economic and political life. The ministers expressed their satisfaction with good bilateral relations between the two countries, with no open issues. The Republic of Chile was the first South American state to recognise Croatia’s international subjectivity.

Minister Grabar-Kitarović also met with the Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Brasil, Celso Amorim. In a cordial talk, the Minister pointed out the need for a more intensive co-operation between the two countries, especially in economy, and invited the Brazilian Minister to visit the Republic of Croatia.

The Community of Democracies is an initiative launched by the democracy-supporting states at the founding meeting on the ministerial level in Warsaw 2000. The participant countries meet every two years. The Republic of Croatia is a signatory state of the Warsaw Declaration, that defined the conclusions and plans for further participation and mutual assistance through the exchange of experiences and knowledge, for the purposes of strengthening the democratic values and standards.

This year’s meeting presupposes concrete steps that will contribute to the development of democracy, the rule of law, promotion of human rights in international organisations, namely the UN, as well as on regional, subregional and national level. Participating at the conference are the representatives of 106, among which there are 40 foreign ministers.