Pusić met with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

At a news conference ahead of the meeting, Clinton welcomed Pusić and said the U.S. strongly supported the many reforms Croatia had undertaken to become a full member of the transatlantic community

"Source: HINA/EPA/SHAWN THEW"

Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusić met 21 March 2012 in Washington, as part of her working visit to the U.S., with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

At a news conference ahead of the meeting, Clinton welcomed Pusić and said the U.S. strongly supported the many reforms Croatia had undertaken to become a full member of the transatlantic community. She applauded Croatia's progress on the path to the EU and its leading role in the region, as well as cooperation with the U.S. in solving global issues.

Pusić thanked the U.S. for its continued assistance to Croatia, highlighting the friendly relations between the two countries and governments. Recalling the fact that Croatia had had to build a functioning state and accede to the European Union, she stressed the importance of the United States’ assistance in those processes, which have yielded visible results. She added that Croatia would continue to contribute to the stabilisation of the entire region of Southeast Europe, in cooperation with the U.S.

Pusić and Clinton also talked about the situation in the region, the joint initiative aimed at strengthening the civil component in NATO operations and the abolishment of the U.S. visa regime for Croatian citizens.

In regard to Croatia’s entering the Visa Waiver Program, Pusić pointed out the necessity of cooperating with the Congress and raising the criteria in Croatia, which would also prepare the country for functioning within the Schengen regime. Croatia has met most of the criteria for abolishing the visa regime, but the problem is a high number of rejected requests: 6.3%, which is twice as much than the allowed 3%. The Congress is currently debating the law which would allow an exception to the rule and an individual assessment of each country.

Pusić took the opportunity to invite Clinton to attend this year’s Croatia Summit, scheduled to be held in July in Dubrovnik.

During her stay in Washington, Pusić also held talks with Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Europe at the U.S. National Security Council Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall and former Secretary of State Madeline Albright.

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