First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić 13 November received four incoming ambassadors to Croatia.
With Turkish ambassador Ahmet Tuta Pusić discussed Turkey’s investments in Croatia’s tourism, including two projects at a preliminary stage worth between USD 350 and 400 million. Pusić underlined that all foreign investors could count on the support and assistance from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the economic diplomacy. The two officials also talked about the British-German initiative for Bosnia and Herzegovina that is to be the topic of the next Foreign Affairs Council meeting, stressing the importance of the initiative becoming a European initiative.
Pusić and the new Albanian ambassador Ilir Melo discussed economic projects of joint interest, notably the TAP-IAP pipeline. Pusić said there was extensive work to be done before the project is realized, emphasizing the importance of political support by all of the interested countries. They agreed that future bilateral cooperation could unfold within regional initiatives as well, namely the EUSAIR and the Adriatic-Ionian Transnational Cooperation Programme.
Pusić and the first Irish residential ambassador to Croatia, Timothy Harrington, expressed conviction that the Irish Embassy in Zagreb, opened in August, would further stimulate the two countries’ cooperation. Pusić and Harrington also discussed the upcoming FAC meeting in Brussels, with Pusić saying she expected the EU member states to support the British-German initiative, launched on Croatia’s proposal, whose aim is to tailor the EU accession process in Bosnia’s case to the specific needs and difficulties of that country, thereby facilitating it and speeding it up. The Irish ambassador agreed and added that Ireland supported further enlargement as it benefited from the membership itself.
Malaysian ambassador Dato' Saiful Azam Martinus Bin Abdullaha talked with Pusić about the prospect of economic cooperation, including Croatia’s energy projects. The interlocutors highlighted the successful cooperation between Croatian and Malaysian educational organizations, with Pusić informing the Malaysian ambassador about the possibility of Malaysian students attending the Specialist Diplomatic Study, co-founded by the Zagreb University and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.