MIMICA ON AUSTRIAN-CROATIAN RELATIONS

VIENNA, Jan 31 (Hina) - Friendly relations between Croatia and Austria were confirmed by Wednesday's talks with Austria's Assistant Foreign Minister for economy and European integration Ewa Novotny, said Croatia's chief negotiator with EU on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) Neven Minica. According to him, Austria expressed support to Croatia on its path to the European Union. "Austria is a partner which understands what kind of a role Croatia can and should play in the stabilisation process, and a partner which is ready to help the negotiations to end as soon as possible", Mimica stressed. "Also offered was a concrete bilateral assistance in the issues of joint interest, such as the building of infrastructure, (...), as well as regional cooperation which is an important element of the SAA", Mimica added. According to him, Austria's standpoints on regional cooperation are identical to Croatia's standpoints on cooperation based on the national interest of each country participating in the process of stabilisation. "Austria is more direct than Brussels because it clearly says 'regional cooperation does not lead you to the Balkans, it does not lead you to a new Yugoslavia, but to Europe'. Such messages are very significant, particularly if they are coming from European Union member countries," Mimica concluded. (hina) it