First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić 9 October received incoming ambassadors of the Netherlands and Switzerland, Ellen Berends and Stefan Estermann, as well as UNHCR Regional Representative for Central Europe Montserrat Feixas Vihé.
Berends said her ambassadorial role would be more traditional, given Croatia’s EU membership. The focus will be on European cooperation, notably in regard to institutional matters. Pusić underlined the importance of the region’s cooperation with the Netherlands, not only through twinning projects but bilateral as well, using development assistance funds.
Estermann and Pusić talked about solving the issue of discrimination against Croatian nationals in Switzerland following the referendum on restricting the freedom of movement in February. They also talked about the Russian-Ukrainian crisis in light of Swiss OSCE presidency.
With UNHCR Regional Representative Feixas Vihé, Pusić discussed the implementation of the Regional Housing Programme. On a side note, the UNHCR Office in Croatia as of 1 July 2014 is officially a part of the Regional Representation for Central Europe seated in Budapest, supporting the UNHCR activities in Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovenia.