The 10th jubilee foreign policy conference organized by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs opened today in Dubrovnik. The theme of this year’s event is determined by the present political moment in the world as well as Croatia’s experiences first as a recipient and then as a provider of development assistance, said First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić, opening the 10th jubilee Croatia Forum.
The issue of development underlies most of the topical global challenges – the refugee crisis and instability in the south, energy security, the situation in Greece and Ukraine and the fight against climatic changes. The participants in the opening discussion agreed that development assistance is one of the most effective long-term solutions to the economic and political instability.
President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović underscored the role of women in development, saying that investing in education, democratic participation and local communities meant laying the foundation for the future of conflict-ridden countries.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that development assistance was not possible without security and that stability, security and peace should be a common goal.
The impact of climatic changes on Europe and world’s security was also addressed by European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica and European Commissioner for Energy Union Maroš Šefčović, who spoke about energy security and the importance of diversification of energy sources.
Prime Minister Zoran Milanović said that the role of small donors in global development should not be underestimated. He described the situation in Greece and the Mediterranean immigration crisis as the biggest challenges to European security, which countries of modest economic means like Croatia should not run away from.
Europe has to take part of the responsibility for the situation in its former colonies and progress through partnership towards a common vision of global development, the senior officials concluded.
Opening address:
Vesna Pusić, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs
Speakers:
Neven Mimica, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development
Maroš Šefčovič, Vice President of the European Commission
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary-General
Zoran Milanović, Croatian Prime Minister
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Croatian President