Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Thursday participated via video link in the Globsec 2020 Forum. This year’s event focused on global recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Globsec Forum in Bratislava is one of the leading conferences in Central and Eastern Europe. It offers a free exchange of ideas and gathers foreign and security policy experts.
Participating in the "Western Balkans and European Neighbourhood post-COVID-19" panel, Grlić Radman emphasized the importance of enlargement for the EU’s security and future, reiterating Croatia’s support for enlargement towards all Southeast European countries.
The minister reflected on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, stressing that Croatia strongly supported its stability and European journey. “Croatia is actively pushing for the protection of the constitutional equality and legitimate representation of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is a cornerstone for the functioning of democratic institutions,” he said.
In addition, Grlić Radman briefly reflected on Croatia’s Council of the EU presidency during which the country, in spite of the challenges facing the EU due to the COVID-19 pandemic, managed to keep the enlargement issue in the EU’s focus and reaffirm a credible and efficient enlargement policy.
Also participating in the panel were Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanyshyna, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva, Deputy Director-General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Katariná Mathernová, and the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other regional issues in the Western Balkans, Miroslav Lajčák. Financial Times’ Southeast Europe correspondent Valerie Hopkins moderated the discussion.