The ministers described the two countries’ bilateral relations as very good and friendly, with no outstanding issues, and with a potential for the strengthening of cooperation in all the areas of mutual interest
The ministers described the two countries’ bilateral relations as very good and friendly, with no outstanding issues, and with a potential for the strengthening of cooperation in all the areas of mutual interest. Minister Jandroković thanked Romania and Minister Baconschi personally for the continuous support show to Croatia along its road to the full-fledged EU membership.
Minister Baconschi congratulated Croatia on closing the EU negotiations and the pending signing of the Accession Treaty, expressing belief that Romania would ratify it in a timely fashion in order for Croatia to join the EU on 1 July 2013 as its 28th member. He pointed out that the successful completion of Croatia’s negotiations presented a strong motivation for the countries of South Eastern Europe on their own European path. The collocutors also agreed that the bilateral cooperation would further intensify once Croatia joined the EU.
Analyzing the economic cooperation, the ministers pointed out the numerous areas which could stand to be further enhanced, such as tourism, infrastructure, energy and metallurgical industry. Minister Jandroković recalled that the overall trade the year before had totaled some €180 million and that Croatia had been visited by some 60,000 Romanian tourists. In order to raise the economic cooperation to a higher level, the holding of a Croatian-Romanian Economic Forum was arranged and both sides expressed willingness to continue the activities of the Joint Croatian-Romanian Economic Cooperation Committee. The ministers especially stressed the need for opening a direct air line between Zagreb and Bucharest.
The collocutors agreed that the Croatian and Romanian minorities in their respective countries represented an important cultural link between the two countries, expressing satisfaction with the cooperation thus far in protecting the minority rights, as well as the willingness to continue supporting their activities and preserve their identity.
In regard to regional cooperation, the ministers agreed that Croatia and Romania could contribute even further through their experiences to the process of stabilizing the region and brining it closer to the Euro-Atlantic integration. They expressed special satisfaction with the past cooperation within the SEECP and discussed enhancing the cooperation within the EU Strategy for the Danube Region.
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