Grabar-Kitarovic thanked Semneby for his contribution as mission chief, saying that his activities effectively advanced interaction between the Croatian Government and the OSCE Mission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration said in a statement.
Semneby said that the partnership between the Croatian Government and the OSCE Mission was an extraordinary example of good cooperation between the OSCE and a host country which produced results to their mutual satisfaction.
The OSCE Mission chief underlined the proactive role of Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and his government in the process of post-war reconciliation and regional cooperation, recalling Sanader's visit to Belgrade on November 15, 2004, the signing of a bilateral agreement on the protection of national minorities, the adoption of a constitutional law on the rights of national minorities, which was designed according to the highest international standards, and a joint declaration on the settlement of refugee issues, which was signed in Sarajevo earlier this year.
Semneby, whose three-year term in office expires on April 30, will be succeeded by Spanish diplomat Jorge Fuentes Monzonis Villalonga, the statement said.