PICULA ATTENDS EURASIA SUMMIT IN NEW YORK

NEW YORK, Sept 24 (Hina) - Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said at the Eurasia Summit in New York on Wednesday that Croatia was investing efforts to achieve political, economic and security conditions for admission into the European Union and NATO. #L# As part of his stay in New York at the 58th UN General Assembly, Picula attended the second Euroasia summit dedicated to energy, economic development and security. The summit was organised by the Eurasia Group and the UN. Picula took part in the first panel dedicated to security and economic development of eastern Europe, along with his Polish counterpart Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz, Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana, and Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Petko Draganov. Picula focused on Croatia's prospects of joining NATO and the impact the entering of East European countries into the EU would have on the economic and security development of the region. Speaking about what joining the EU meant for Croatia, Picula said it opened economic possibilities and opportunities for better living standards and social reforms. In Croatia there is political consensus about the need for joining the EU, and 75 percent of the public supports the government's efforts, Picula said. He stressed that "security is the number one political issue today" on which the development of democracy depended. Picula said Croatia was gradually becoming a security factor in the region and wanted to take part in ensuring stability and security in the world which was why it was deploying its soldiers and police in UN peace missions in Sierra Leone, West Sahara, Kashmir, East Timor and Kosovo. Minister Geoana said that Romania, having joined NATO and about to gain EU membership by 2007, planned to leave the door open for other western Balkan countries to join NATO and the EU. Polish Minister Cimoszewicz said that Croatia had made considerable progress in preparing for joining the EU. (hina) it