Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Monday paid an official visit to Estonia, where he first held talks with his Estonian counterpart Eva-Maria Liimets.
“Croatia and Estonia this year are marking the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Estonia and several other countries recognized Croatia as early as 31 December 1991, even before the European Community, for which we are especially grateful,” Grlić Radman said.
The two ministers expressed satisfaction with the very good and friendly bilateral relations, regular high-level cooperation, as well as the partnership within the EU, NATO, Three Seas Initiative and other international formats. They underscored potential for the advancement of bilateral cooperation, notably in the sectors of economy, defence, IT and tourism.
The talks between Grlić Radman and Liimets focused on the Russian aggression on Ukraine. They underlined the importance of the unity and solidarity of the EU and transatlantic partners, as well as the importance of continuing the implementation of restrictions against Russia. Grlić Radman said that Croatia was showing solidarity with Ukraine by sending financial aid and defence equipment and taking in refugees, warning of possible destabilisation in Bosnia and Herzegovina due to the war in Ukraine. “We strongly advocate the electoral reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina, confident that it would improve relations between the constituent peoples and ensure legitimate and just elections,” he said.
Concerning the security situation in Europe, the minister reported about the crash of an unmanned aerial vehicle in Zagreb and the continuation of the investigation, stressing that the incident highlighted the need for a better and closer communication and cooperation between NATO member states.
Later in the day, Grlić Radman and Liimets opened a Croatian-Estonian business forum, which focused on IT and digitalisation, and gathered executives of IT companies from the two countries.
“This platform is an excellent opportunity to continue the dialogue between our companies. I firmly believe that B2B talks will give an important boost to our economic relations in the years ahead. It is our responsivity to open to the door to new business opportunities,” Grlić Radman said in his keynote address.
During his visit to Estonia, Grlić Radman also met with Estonian Defence Minister Kalle Laanet and Parliament Speaker Jüri Ratas, and visited the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence.
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