First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusić today received outgoing ambassador of Japan Masaru Tsuji, as well as incoming ambassadors Suh Hyung-won of Korea, Poul Erik Dam Kristensen of Denmark and Lars Peter Klaus Schmidt of Sweden.
Ambassador Tsuji said Croatia-Japan bilateral relations were very good, notably in the areas of tourism and culture, adding more effort needed to be put into investment projects. He said that Japan, although geographically distant, was interested in the process of EU enlargement given that a stable Southeast Europe was important for the stability of the EU as a whole. He expressed satisfaction with the successfully organized visit by Prince Akishino to Croatia in June and announced a visit by Japanese parliamentary delegation in the near future.
Korean Ambassador Hyung-won was pleased with the recently held Croatia-Korea Business Forum, which drew some 20 Korean companies and saw 50 or so separate business meetings between Croatian and Korean companies. He pointed out that last year had seen a marked increase on the number of Korean tourists in Croatia. He expressed satisfaction that this year’s 46th Golden Pirouette will feature a performance by current Olympic and world champion Kim Yuna, “which has already generated a lot of media interest in Zagreb and Croatia,” he said.
The talks with Danish and Swedish ambassadors focused on European affairs, the upcoming Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius, and the state of affairs in the region.