Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Tuesday opened a Croatia-Indonesia online summer school and delivered a lecture on Croatia-Indonesia and EU-Southeast Asia relations. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi also addressed the students.
In his address, Grlić Radman underlined the importance of joint academic and science projects. “I want to point out the prospects of cooperation and exchange of knowledge with colleagues from Indonesia and Southeast Asia on one side and Croatia and the EU on the other”, he said, adding that that cooperation should be full of science projects that would bring additional transfer of knowledge and technologies between the two regions, and the scientific community of Croatia and Indonesia could be the initiator of these activities. The minister also stressed the need to sign agreements on scientific and technical cooperation between the two countries, which would take the cooperation to the next level.
In addition, Grlić Radman underscored the importance of multilateralism in Croatia-Indonesia relations and the EU-ASEAN cooperation. “As a member state of the EU, Croatia is well aware of Indonesia’s role within ASEAN in terms of green, economic and social cooperation and mobility. We have recognized ASEAN’s central role in the fulfilment of regional goals such as labour mobility, migration management, cooperation in high education, as well as vocational education and training, including the ERASMUS programme,” the minister said.