Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Friday held talks with his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani.
Grlić Radman underscored close and friendly relations between the two countries as well as successful cooperation, as evidenced by regular bilateral consultations and regular meetings of the Coordinating Committee of Ministers. After last year’s 5th meeting in Rome, Croatia is to host the 6th one this year in Zagreb. In addition, the first Croatia-Italy Business Forum was held as part of said meeting, demonstrating potential for the advancement of cooperation, notably in IT and digitalization, food industry, and infrastructure. That is why this year, as part of the 6th meeting, the Business Forum will once again take place.
“Croatia and Italy’s economic cooperation is at an all-time high. In 2022, Italy became Croatia’s number one foreign trade partner, with trade totalling 8.64 billion euros, an increase of nearly 45% from 2021,” Grlić Radman pointed out.
The two ministers also discussed the status of respective national minorities, a lasting link between Croatia and Italy. The two countries are committed to continued protection of their rights, languages, culture and customs. Tajani said that the Croatian minority enriched Italy and that it was not suppressing its own tradition, while at the same time respecting Italian laws and the Italian state. The two ministers also touched on foreign policy topics.
“We have reiterated strong support for Ukraine, a victim of Russia’s unprovoked aggression, whose position Croatia unfortunately understands very well. The issue of illegal migration into the EU affects both Croatia and Italy – Croatia is dealing with entries via the Western Balkan route, Italy via the Mediterranean route. We have to find an appropriate European response to this burning issue that will protect the interests of the EU, including countries that are first hit by migration, such as Croatia and Italy,” Grlić Radman underlined.
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