PODGORICA, Jan 12 (Hina) - Croatia and Montenegro are turning a
new page in their ties that are based on good-neighbourly relations and a
common objective - joining the European Union and NATO, Croatian Prime Minister
Ivo Sanader and his Montenegrin counterpart Zeljko Sturanovic said in
Podgorica Friday.
Sanader is the first prime minister to officially
visit Montenegro after the former Yugoslav republic officially separated from
Serbia.
The Croatian PM said that the past cannot be forgotten,
adding that Montenegro's distancing from and apologising for the attack on
Dubrovnik and the aggression on Croatia have created conditions for the
establishment of good relations.
"We shall not forget the past, but
we will not live in it," Sanader said, stressing there was no alternative to EU
integration.
Montenegrin PM Sturanovic thanked Croatia for showing
readiness to share its positive experience with Montenegro on the path to
Euro-Atlantic associations. He stressed that democratic Montenegro had clearly
stated its position towards the events from the 1990s, adding that now was the
time to build new partnerships and friendships on new foundations.
The two officials talked about bilateral issues and the establishment of
permanent peace in Southeast Europe.
Sanader said the two countries
would soon sign an agreement on the protection of minorities and a permanent
agreement on borders. He hailed cooperation between the Croatian Chief State
prosecutor's Office and Montenegro's Prosecutor's Office in processing war
crimes suspects and expressed confidence in the work of the two countries'
judicial sectors.
At the end of an hour-long talks, a state secretary
in the Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry, Hido
Biscevic, and officials of the Montenegrin Foreign Ministry signed a protocol
on cooperation between the two ministries and a protocol on cooperation in the
European integration process.
After the talks, Sanader and Sturanovic
attended a meeting of Croatian and Montenegrin business people.
PODGORICA, Jan 12 (Hina) - Croatia and Montenegro are turning a new page in their ties that are based on good-neighbourly relations and a common objective - joining the European Union and NATO, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and
his Montenegrin counterpart Zeljko Sturanovic said in Podgorica Friday.Croatia and Montenegro are turning a new page in their ties that are based on good-neighbourly relations and a common objective - joining the European Union and NATO, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and his Montenegrin counterpart Zeljko Sturanovic said in Podgorica Friday. Sanader is the first prime minister to officially visit Montenegro after the former Yugoslav republic officially separated from Serbia. The Croatian PM said that the past cannot be forgotten, adding that Montenegro's distancing from and apologising for the attack on Dubrovnik and the aggression on Croatia have created conditions for the establishment of good relations. "We shall not forget the past, but we will n