Minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović participated in the 14th OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting

In the introductory word, Minister Grabar-Kitarović said that the Croatian Government observed that fundamental OSCE values, principles and standards were reflected not only in Croatian legislative and politics but also in every-day life of all who consider Croatia their home. She expressed the belief that durable peace and security must be founded on the respect of human rights, basic freedoms and the rule of law, democracy and economic development. She underlined the fact that the Republic of Croatia, as a multicultural and multiethnic country, actively supports all OSCE activities associated with tolerance and non-discrimination and, in this context, referred to the 2nd OSCE Tolerance Implementation Meeting hosted by Croatia and held in Dubrovnik in October this year. Touching on the subject of human trafficking, Minister Grabar-Kitarović said that the Republic of Croatia developed lasting national mechanisms to prevent human trafficking and underlined that Croatia was intensifying international cooperation through numerous related initiatives.

On the topic of regional collaboration which is high among the priorities of Croatian foreign policy, Minister Grabar-Kitarović said that, within OSCE mechanisms and activities and other regional and sub-regional organizations and initiatives, the Republic of Croatia collaborated actively with the countries in the region in the areas related to organized crime and corruption prevention, as well as infrastructure, energy-systems, economy and free-trade development. She said that she hoped for an even stronger contribution of the Republic of Croatia to the enhancement of regional cooperation through current Croatian Chairmanship of the South-East Europe European Cooperation Process and the chairmanship of the Quadrilaterale. She mentioned that the Republic of Croatia had proven its commitment to cooperation with neighbouring countries and on issues of refugee return and interstate juridical collaboration on war crimes. Minister Grabar-Kitarović emphasized the superior collaboration with the OSCE Mission to Croatia, headed by Ambassador Jorge Fuentes Monzonís-Vilallonga, especially through implementation of the Platform with the participation of the Croatian Government in solving all remaining tasks of the Mission.

After expressing gratitude to the representatives of the Kingdom of Belgium and the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Karel de Gucht on his efforts during the OSCE Chairmanship, Minister Grabar-Kitarović also congratulated the Kingdom of Spain on its forthcoming Chairmanship, starting in 2007.