Minister Grabar-Kitarović met with UK Minister of State for Europe Geoff Hoon

The two ministers confirmed the existence of very good bilateral relations between the two countries, expressing expectations for their further deepening, both at the political and the economic level, as evidenced by the 23 international agreements signed between the two countries so far, as well as the 13 agreements assumed through succession. The trade between the two countries is encouraging, pointed out Minister Grabar-Kitarović, having totalled $600 mil. in 2006, with the growth rate of 27% in relation to the year before.

The two ministers presented the UK-Croatia Strategic Partnership for 2007/2008. The Republic of Croatia, said Minister Grabar-Kitarović, welcomes this document that provides the basis for taking the relations to a higher level. Through this strategic partnership program, more than a 1.4-million-Euro worth of bilateral projects will be conducted in the next 12 months, based on practical co-operation and the exchange of expertise and experiences with the aim of preparing Croatia for the EU and NATO membership.

As regards multilateral co-operation, the two ministers discussed the issues concerning the process of Croatia’s EU and NATO accession, as well as the co-operation within the United Nations.

Minister Grabar-Kitarović confirmed that Croatia appreciates UK’s support for its EU membership, informing Europe Minister Hoon about Croatia’s views on certain issues and details concerning the current state of the accession process. Minister Grabar-Kitarović familiarised her collocutor with the activities Croatia is conducting in meeting the membership criteria.

In the part of the meeting that concerned NATO, Minister Grabar-Kitarović pointed out that special attention is being paid to communication with the public, with the aim of enlisting its strong and legitimate support for NATO membership. The message from the Riga Summit had a positive impact on the communication, as confirmed by the recent public opinion polls showing an upward trend in the support.

Speaking about Croatia’s engagement in peacekeeping missions, Minister Grabar-Kitarović informed Europe Minister Hoon about Croatia’s contribution to ISAF and other missions. Participation in peacekeeping missions is a long-term priority of the Croatian Government, said Minister Grabar-Kitarović, pointing out the Croatian Parliament’s decision to increase the number of the Croatian Armed Forces representatives in Afghanistan to 200 during 2007, and 300 during 2008.

Minister Grabar-Kitarović also presented Croatia’s candidacy for a non-permanent membership in the UN Security Council for 2008/2009.