Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs 19 November 2018 in Brussels attended a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council.
The meeting focused on Central Asia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yemen, Ukraine, as well as security and defence.
At Croatia’s request, the foreign ministers discussed the situation in BiH after the October 7 general elections.
Croatia supports BiH’s European integration, democratization, strengthening of the rule of law, ensuring political equality for all three constituent nations and protection of national minorities.
Pejčinović Burić voiced concern over the situation in BiH, as the constitutionally guaranteed equality among the constituent nations is lacking in practice.
Acknowledging the complexity of the situation in BiH, Croatia is pushing for applying the Constitutional Court ruling and amending the election law in line with the Constitutional Court ruling.
Political stability is a prerequisite for the implementation of the Reform Agenda, so that BiH could get the EU candidate status.
The Council expressed support for BiH’s European path, underlining the necessity of reforming the election law and voicing willingness to continue actively working on the issue of BiH.
The foreign ministers had a discussion on Central Asia (Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan).
Croatia recognizes the importance of this region and will through its embassy in Kazakhstan work on intensifying relations, notably in the area of economy.
The Council exchanged views on the latest developments in Ukraine, reiterating commitment to Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The ministers also highlighted the EU’s continued humanitarian engagement in Eastern Ukraine.
Pejčinović Burić reported on Croatia’s contribution, stressing the need for humanitarian demining and helping build a support system for refugees and displaced persons.
Discussing the situation in Yemen, the ministers exchanged views on ongoing EU efforts, in particular with regard to political and humanitarian support.
The EU foreign ministers were joined by defence ministers for a discussion on EU cooperation in security and defence. They reviewed the implementation of security and defence initiatives.