The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, Dr Miomir Žužul, participated in the two-day North-South European Economic Forum

Minister Žužul addressed his colleagues from about thirty European countries on the issues of security, defining the European Union as a union of ideas and value systems establishing democracy as the basic dimension of the Union. Dr Žužul said that only within the framework of the European Union reconciliation in Southeast Europe was possible and indicated Croatia in this connection as the regional model of European values.

Following today's session of the Forum, Minister Žužul and his assistants for political and economic affairs met with the MFA of Lithuania, Antanas Valionis. Minister Valionis presented the basic tenets of negotiations for Lithuania's joining the European Union. He stressed that Lithuania's experience showed that the most difficult task was to harmonise domestic legislation with the requirements of the European Union in matters of the legal system and legislation.

Minister Žužul said the experience of many states was available to Croatia in its efforts to join the EU, and that he hoped Croatia would be able to harmonise its laws with the legislation of the European Union in a very short period. Both Ministers concluded that the European Union was the only possible framework for the countries in transition to build mature democratic systems. Ministers Žužul and Valionis agreed on further cooperation between the two states in Croatia's approaching the European Union and NATO. Bilaterally, both sides agreed on strengthening the economic relations between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Lithuania.