Minister Pusić discusses EU-Russia relations

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić attended a meeting of the General Affairs Council in Brussels

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić attended a meeting of the General Affairs Council in Brussels, which among other items on the agenda discussed ranking the EU member states according to how functional their judiciary is, an initiative launched by the European Commission. Pusić stressed that it was important that the criteria be equal for all the countries, but that context had to be taken into account as well.

In regard to Ukraine and the Crimea referendum, Pusić said that the European Council was meeting on Thursday, but that Russia's decision to annex Crimea was a move that required an additional reaction from the EU. “All sides wish to defuse the situation, but Russia is paying little or no attention to the need for dialogue. This is a completely new situation for all of us," she said.

Asked about the genocide case before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Pusić said that Croatia’s legal team would respond to everything that was going on in the courtroom. „It is very important that everyone be aware that a high enough price has already been paid for various extremist policies and statements. The task of politicians today is to protect the present and future of our region,” said Pusić.

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