The minister was speaking at a ceremony held in the ministry headquarters on the occasion of Croatian Diplomacy Day. The event was attended by former Croatian foreign ministers, members of the diplomatic corps in Zagreb, representatives of state institutions and other guests.
"The crown of our efforts last year was the start of the accession talks on October 3, after which we continued working intensively and so far we have managed to close the explanatory screening stage for 20 chapters and the bilateral screening stage for 18 chapters. I believe that we will soon open and provisionally close first chapters in formal talks," Grabar Kitarovic said.
Speaking of other diplomatic successes, the minister mentioned efforts to draw closer to NATO and the organisation of a number of successful international conferences which contributed to Croatia's international reputation.
The minister thanked all institutions participating in the shaping of the country's foreign policy, from the head of state to the government, the parliament and non-governmental organisations, institutes, individuals and the academic community.
"Our successes so far are the result of joint efforts and we will continue promoting Croatia as a modern democracy with a strong market economy which cares for all of its citizens," the minister said.
A special guest at the ceremony was the Holy See's Secretary for Relations with States, Giovanni Lajolo, who is on a visit to Croatia.
Lajolo said that all world diplomacies shared the same values of dialogue and closer ties, better understanding and concord among peoples.
He recalled that Croatian Diplomacy Day was celebrated on June 7 to commemorate the oldest document in Croatia's diplomatic history, a letter Pope John VIII sent on 7 June 879 to Croatian prince Branimir, recognising his rule over Croatia.
He expressed hope that Croatia, which had grown out of what he called an undesired war, would be able to achieve the material well-being of Western European countries.
The Holy See wants negotiations on Croatia's full membership of the EU to be completed positively and in the near future, he said.