The aim of the agreement, which was signed by Croatian Finance Minister Ivan Suker and Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos in the Croatian Foreign Ministry in Zagreb today, is to promote bilateral economic relations.
Croatian Foreign and European Integration Minister Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic told reporters she believed this agreement would contribute to the enhancement of economic relations between the two countries.
She described Croatian-Spanish relations as very good, adding that it was necessary to advance them particularly in the economic sector. In this context Grabar-Kitarovic announced a visit of a Croatian business delegation to Spain and the presentation of the Croatian economy by the Croatian Embassy in Madrid this June.
Speaking of bilateral trade, Finance Minister Suker said Spain's exports to Croatia amounted to some 300 million US dollars, while Croatia's exports to that country came to some 42 million dollars.
Minister Grabar Kitarovic informed her Spanish counterpart of all measures Zagreb was taking to satisfy the remaining requirement for opening its accession negotiations with the European Union, namely its full cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal. She also notified the Spanish guest of all other preparations for the opening of membership talks.
The two foreign ministers agreed on a visit by Croatian Chief Negotiator with the EU Vladimir Drobnjak to Spain.
Moratinos said Spain would like to develop very close cooperation with Croatia and described bilateral relations as excellent. He added that Madrid would like to help Croatia on its path towards the EU.
Spain welcomes Croatia to the EU and its admission should be realised as soon as possible. We are convinced that Croatia will succeed in overcoming the last obstacles and that it will accept advice and proposals given by the (EU) Council of Ministers and its friends as as to enter the EU as soon as possible, the Spanish minister said.
Asked by reporters to assess Croatia's cooperation, Grabar-Kitarovic reiterated that full cooperation with the ICTY tribunal was a condition for opening negotiations with the EU.
"Normally the criterion of full cooperation must be defined in a way so that Croatia can meet it, which means that Croatia must do all it can to solve the only remaining issue, i.e the issue of General (Ante) Gotovina, whose obligation is to appear before the tribunal in The Hague given that he is an indictee and a fugitive before Croatian law," the Croatian foreign minister said.
Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, who was on a two-day visit to Croatia, was received by top Croatian officials -- President Stjepan Mesic, Sabor Speaker Vladimir Seks and Prime Minister Ivo Sanader -- earlier on Thursday. On that occasion Seks forwarded an invitation to the Spanish parliament's chairman, Manuel Marin Gonzales, to visit Zagreb.
On Thursday afternoon the Spanish minister will travel to the coastal town of Trogir where he will be declared an honorary citizen.