Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Sunday met with the Croatian community in New York, where he is to participate in the 77th session of the UN General Assembly. Upon arrival, Grlić Radman visited the Croatian Catholic Mission of Blessed John Merz and attended mass at the Most Precious Blood in Astoria.
During the meeting, the minister underlined the community’s strong contribution to the nurturing of the Croatian identity, adding that the Croatian government continued to support and intensify cooperation with the diaspora.
As proof of the government’s commitment to strengthening the ties between Croatia and its emigrants, he underscored Croatia’s accession to the Visa Waiver Program. “The achievement of this important foreign policy goal confirms the excellent partnership between Croatia and the U.S. and will contribute to the strengthening of our relations,” the minister said, stressing the importance of signing a double taxation avoidance agreement, which is expected soon.
“This is a crucial agreement that will primarily help business people, as well as strengthen cooperation and communication in doing business, bolster ties within the business community, and help Croats returning to Croatia, notably pensioners,” Grlić Radman underscored, adding that there was a lot of interest among Croatian Americans in moving to Croatia.
“The Croatian community in the U.S. is the largest Croatian diaspora in the world and one of the most organised and most active. It has done a lot for Croatia and continues to do so. Our unity was never more visible than in the hardest of times, such as the Homeland War and the fight for Croatia’s international recognition, but also in the wake of the devastating earthquakes that struck Zagreb and Sisak-Moslavina counties in 2020,” the minister said.
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