ZAGREB, Jan 7 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has sent a letter to Jaap de Hoop Scheffer congratulating him on being appointed NATO Secretary-General, the government's Public Relations Office said in a statement on
Wednesday.
ZAGREB, Jan 7 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has sent a
letter to Jaap de Hoop Scheffer congratulating him on being appointed
NATO Secretary-General, the government's Public Relations Office said
in a statement on Wednesday.#L#
Noting that De Hoop Scheffer was assuming the leadership of the
North-Atlantic Treaty Organisation at a time when the alliance was
being reorganised to meet the challenges of the modern world, Sanader
said that membership in NATO and the European Union were Croatia's
foreign policy priorities.
He said that Croatia already had constitutional and legal foundations
for membership and that his government would continue investing great
efforts in strengthening democratic institutions and implementing
reforms.
Sanader underlined the importance his government attached to the
ongoing and substantial development of good relations with all
neighbouring countries, including Croatia's active support to their
efforts to join the EU and NATO on the basis of of their individual
achievements.
The new Croatian prime minister said that the top priority of the
government would be to improve the standard of living of all citizens
by strengthening domestic production and creating favourable
conditions for foreign investment.
Sanader underlined Croatia's contribution to international security
over the past few years, saying that it was currently involved in
seven international peacekeeping missions, including the NATO-led
mission in Afghanistan, and that Croatia intended to strengthen its
role in peacekeeping missions and its contribution to the fight
against international terrorism.
The prime minister said that the government would continue with the
reform of the defence system in order to be able to respond to any
future threats and challenges, adding that this would be possible when
Croatia reached NATO standards.
Sanader expressed a firm conviction that Croatia would join NATO in
the near future.
(Hina) vm