ZAGREB, May 11 (Hina) - The heads of parliaments of the Vilnius Group (V10) on Saturday in Zagreb adopted a joint statement supporting Croatia's formal entry into NATO's Membership Action Plan (MAP) at NATO's ministerial meeting in
Reykjavik next week.
ZAGREB, May 11 (Hina) - The heads of parliaments of the Vilnius
Group (V10) on Saturday in Zagreb adopted a joint statement
supporting Croatia's formal entry into NATO's Membership Action
Plan (MAP) at NATO's ministerial meeting in Reykjavik next week.
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We believe that the MAP is an excellent instrument for preparing for
entry into NATO, and we are convinced that NATO will formally accept
Croatia in the process at the coming ministerial conference, the
statement said.
Croatian parliament president Zlatko Tomcic said after the meeting
that it was exceptionally important for Croatia to have received
the support of the V-10 Group.
"For the first time we gave a parliamentary dimension to the V-10
Group ... it is exceptionally important for Croatia to have
received the support of the other nine countries ahead of the
meeting in Reykjavik to enter MAP," Tomcic said.
The parliamentary leaders said in the statement that they shared a
joint vision of an integral and unified Europe.
They also reiterated that NATO's extension was an integral part of
that vision, and stressed that NATO had a historic opportunity to
greatly expand at the coming summit in Prague.
It is expected that Croatia's entry into MAP will be endorsed by
NATO foreign ministers in Reykjavik on May 14 and 15.
(hina) lml