The second day of the Forum began with a plenary session, at which speeches were held by NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, and Vice-Prime Minister Imer Aliu. It was followed by tri parallel panels, of which the first was dedicated to Afghanistan, the second to Kosovo and the future of the Balkans, and the third to energy security.
Minister Grabar-Kitarović held a speech at the Afghanistan panel, entitled Winning the Conflict, in which she pointed out the active role of Croatia in ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan through participation in ISAF, and stressed Croatia’s long-term plans to continue with its active assistance in building the civil society elements, namely through projects directed at strengthening the administrative capacities of state institutions, the rule of law, law implementation, and the protection of human rights.
Minister Grabar-Kitarović also pointed out the need for a stronger involvement of the international community in sense of increasing the number of security components for implementing the stability activities, ensuring additional donation sources, and strengthening the support to the development of a sustainable Afghan economy.
Preceding the EAPC Forum, a meeting of the US-Adriatic Charter’s Partnership Commission was held on 28 June 2007, dedicated to NATO enlargement pending the Bucharest Summit next year. Minister Grabar-Kitarović described the meeting as extremely valuable, as all sides expressed their optimistic views regarding the Summit. The US, as a Charter member, supports the three Charter members’ – Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia – joining NATO, said the US Ambassador to NATO Victoria Nuland.
Recently, the US-Adriatic Charter (A3) held a meeting with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia, on the topic of security situation in the region and the Euro-Atlantic perspectives of the new Partnership for Peace members.
During her stay in Ohrid, Minister Grabar-Kitarović held bilateral meetings with Albanian Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha and Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet on 28 June 2007, and on 29 June with Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić, Romanian Foreign Minister Adrian Cioroianu, and Slovakian Foreign Minister Jan Kubiš.