Minister Pusić gives talk on NATO and EU membership

ZAGREB, Nov 27 (Hina) - Croatian First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusić on Tuesday gave a talk "The European Union and NATO", stressing that Croatia considered membership of the two organisations

ZAGREB, Nov 27 (Hina) - Croatian First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusić on Tuesday gave a talk "The European Union and NATO", stressing that Croatia considered membership of the two organisations to be a very important element of stability.

The event at which Pusić gave her speech was organised by the Croatian Parliament's Delegation with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

"The basic position of Croatia's foreign policy when it comes to the region is that at this moment membership of NATO and the EU is, among other things, a very important element of stability," Pusić underlined in her speech.

"This is why it is of a vital interest for Croatia to have its neighbours, primarily southeast European countries, move towards NATO and EU membership," Pusić stressed.

The foreign minister recalled that Croatia was taking part in 14 international operations and missions, nine of which were led by the UN, three by the EU and two by NATO.

After the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan, scheduled for late 2014, Croatia will co-finance Afghan forces, given that it had joined the Danish Initiative, Pusić said. Denmark has proposed that countries willing to participate, provide financial assistance after the withdrawal of NATO troops. Each country would participate according to its own financial abilities.

"Croatia will co-finance Afghan troops with US500,000 each year," she said, adding that some countries would donate billions of dollars.

Speaking about the US-Adriatic Charter, currently chaired by Croatia, Pusić announced a meeting would be held in Zagreb on 14 December, adding that Serbia and Kosovo would be invited as guests.

Speaking of Croatia's coming EU admission, Pusić said that so far 19 EU members have ratified Croatia's EU accession treaty, expressing hope that Finland and France would ratify the document by year's end.

Pusić said that the only country that had not yet scheduled the ratification was Slovenia, expressing hope Slovenia would do so in the near future.

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