This year, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs once again gathered the ambassadors, consuls general, consuls, and military attachés of the Republic of Croatia for a regular two-day conference, which took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 27 and 28, at the National and University Library in Zagreb. The conference was officially opened in the presence of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, and, in addition to Croatian diplomats, it also brought together representatives of the diplomatic corps in Croatia.
Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman inaugurated the conference on Tuesday with an opening speech addressing current foreign policy issues and the priorities of Croatia's foreign policy. Prime Minister Andrej Plenković also addressed the attendees, emphasizing the importance of Croatia’s international engagement in the context of global challenges.
This annual gathering of Croatian diplomatic representatives once again provided an opportunity for Croatian ambassadors, consuls general, consuls, and military attachés to discuss various topics and exchange views through different panels, actively participating in discussions. On the first day, participants had the chance to discuss Europe and the European Union, the current situation in Southeast Europe, major global threats, as well as multipolar challenges.
As panellists on the "Europe and the EU - Local and Global" panel, Vice-President of the European Commission Dubravka Šuica and Member of the European Parliament Davor Ivo Stier contributed their insights. The discussion focused on the current political and economic situation within the European Union and the key challenges Europe is facing on a global level.
Minister Grlić Radman opened the panel on "The Current Situation in Southeast Europe," highlighting the challenges facing Croatian foreign policy. The panel on "Major Global Threats" was introduced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović, where participants discussed global challenges and security threats facing the world today. Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Gordan Jandroković opened the panel on "Multipolar Challenges Facing the West," stressing the geopolitical challenges and opportunities in an increasingly multipolar world.
Along with the official reception hosted by Plenković and Grlić Radman, conference participants had the opportunity to attend the opening of the exhibition "Solidarity with Ukraine" and view an exhibition of commemorative postage stamps from various countries issued in support of Ukraine following Russia's aggression and the outbreak of war. The exhibition was organized at the initiative of Ukrainian Post, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and Croatian Post. It was emphasized that the exhibition once again sent a strong message of solidarity with Ukraine.
On Wednesday, the conference continued with a panel on Croatia’s membership in the OECD, where further steps and challenges facing Croatia on its path to joining this international organization were discussed. The State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Zdenko Lucić, spoke about Croatia's status in the accession process.
A fascinating discussion followed on the role of women in diplomacy, with Croatian diplomatic and European institution officials discussing the importance of gender equality and the challenges women face in diplomacy.
As a special guest, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of North Macedonia, Timčo Macunski, addressed the participants.
The regular annual gathering of Croatian diplomatic representatives once again provided an excellent opportunity for analysis and systematic discussion of key aspects of Croatian foreign policy. This event once again enabled a comprehensive exchange of views on numerous current challenges.
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