State Secretary Andreja Metelko-Zgombić and Secretary-General Sebastian Rogač on Thursday held a virtual meeting with the Secretary-General at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Elisabetta Belloni.
The officials underscored satisfaction with the very good bilateral relations between the two neighbouring countries, whereby the Italian side reiterated the interest to step up cooperation with Croatia. They agreed that the upcoming fourth meeting of the Coordinating Committee of Italian and Croatian Ministers in Zagreb would be an excellent opportunity to review cooperation options in a number of areas. The officials also underlined the need for a better coordination in the fight against the pandemic, including solutions for normalizing tourist and business trips between the two countries.
The Italian side commended Croatia’s successful Council of the EU presidency, highlighting the enlargement policy towards Southeast Europe, which both countries strongly advocate. In addition, the officials exchanged views on the situation in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean and discussed migration in light of the Commission’s new Pact on Migration and Asylum. They underlined mutual interest to strengthen cooperation within the EU.