State Secretary Davor Božinović represented Croatia at UN Security Council’s ministerial meeting

Pointing out the importance of timely organizing the debate on this vital subject by the Russian Federation, which is presiding over the Security Council in May, State Secretary Božinović said that the Arab-Israeli conflict has global repercussions and that its solution greatly depends on a more prominent involvement of the world’s leading countries.

He pointed out that the activities of the new US government had provided a new momentum to that end, stressing the importance of maintaining it. In that regard, Croatia welcomes the Russian initiative of upgrading the Annapolis Process by placing a stronger emphasis on the conflict’s regional aspect, the existing regional support for the peace process – namely by Egypt, and the renewal of relations between Israel and Syria, and Syria and Lebanon.

“The Republic of Croatia, based on the experiences of the region it belongs to, deems it important that the international community, including the Security Council and the Quartet, continue to incite both sides to draw closer to the mutual goal,” said State Secretary Božinović, expressing Croatia’s position that the solution to the Near East peace process should be based on the existence of two states – Israel and Palestine, which would live in peace and security.

He also stressed the importance of reconstruction and long-term development of the Gaza Strip, which primarily depend upon a stable and secure environment, which in turn remains crucial for opening border crossings in and out of Gaza. “The post-conflict period in Gaza has demonstrated the importance of inter-Palestinian reconciliation,” said State Secretary Božinović, adding that in order for the peace and stability to be reached in the Near East, the political process should be followed by economic development as well.

The meeting resulted in a presidential statement, calling on the continuation of the Annapolis Process, which should gain new momentum at the Moscow conference before the end of the year.