Ahead of us lays a period of good co-operation with Mexico

Croatia’s ambassador to the US and Mexico, Ivan Grdešić, was staying in Chile for the conference held by the US Organization, that covers the western hemisphere from Canada to Chile.

One of the themes of the conference was the good governing and transitional experiences of the South American states that entered the process in early 80s. Can Croatia use some of their experiences?
We know little about this world, and although geographically far away, it is very similar to ours, as we share the same democratic and transitional problems. All of these states are going through a process of strengthening their democratic institutions, building a civil society and strengthen their market economies. These are the issues that dominate not only Croatia, but all of the new democracies in Europe. Globalisation, domestic problems, unequal distribution of national income, low growth rate... All of this has caused the democratic institutions in that part of the world to lose their legitimacy. People’s loss of belief in that the democratic institutions can solve their daily problems, as well as those long-term, was the main theme of the discussion entitled “The Rule of Democracy and Good Governing”.
What was the conclusion that was reached?
The conclusion was that it is necessary to strengthen the institutions of state, society, and global capitalism. Foreign Ministers warned that the problems need to be solved with more democracy, that the human and civil rights issues needs to be solved by protecting them more vigorously, and that the problems of capitalism need to be solved by strengthening the capitalist institutions. The difference is in that the US, of course, more than the other states, is calling for economic freedoms such as the creation of a unique free trade zone, which is something the undeveloped countries are not that keen on, as it would only additionally burden their economies.
You have recently handed in your credentials. What is the co-operation between Croatia and Mexico like?
We are too preoccupied with our immediate environment, our neighbours and Europe. These are our strategic priorities, of course, but Croatia needs to experience a different world as well, as today geographic distance does not present a barrier for either political or economic or any other form of co-operation. Mexico is a country of more than 120 million people, with a huge economic potential, and can serve as a bridge to Central or Caribbean America. I think that ahead of us lays a period of good co-operation, as we expect the negotiations on 4 bilateral agreements, 2 of which relate to economy, to end soon.
Although these countries are far away, they have the same problems as we do, albeit more extreme, and therefore I think we would benefit immensely by co-operating with and learning from them. The world is a small place, and Croatia must not be isolated from it. We are talking about a world of the future, where even the US after the Cold War is turning more and more towards its neighbours, at least as far as the political and democratic initiatives are concerned.
World’s oldest regional organisation
The US Organization is the oldest regional organisation in the world, founded as early as 1890. At the conference, held from 8-10 June in Chile, all the countries were represented by their Foreign Ministers. The organisation counts 35 member countries, and 36 other countries monitored the conference. Croatia has the status of a permanent monitor. Cuba is also a member, but has been suspended since 1962. It is the only country on the western hemisphere that is not democratic, while all other countries’ governments were elected in a democratic way.