State Secretary for Political Affairs Frano Matušić on Wednesday participated in a virtual annual meeting of foreign ministers of the Central European Initiative (CEI).
The ministers exchanged views on the promotion of sustainable development and joint efforts by CEI member states to counter threats through efficient multilateralism. They also discussed new prospects of regional cooperation in healthcare, economy, environment, science and connectivity, with a special emphasis on the youth.
Matušić said that Croatia fully supported European ambitions of all six Western Balkan countries. He underscored strong support for the opening of accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, the intergovernmental conference with Montenegro and Serbia, liberalization of visa regime with Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s goal of attaining the candidate status.
In addition, the state secretary said Croatia welcomed the initiative to utilize all of the available EU and CEI capacities and instruments to support the sustainable development of the Eastern Partnership. He recalled that during the pandemic, Croatia had shown great solidarity with those in need and donated vaccine to Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia.
The ministers reaffirmed the importance of promoting sustainable development as well as implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals as the right way to tackle crises. They also underlined the importance of cooperation between CEI and the EU, based on joint values and standards, notably within the Eastern Partnership.