VIENNA VIENNA, Feb 20 (Hina) - Croatia and Austria will continue strengthening friendly relations, particularly economic ties, and Austria will support and assist Croatia in rapprochement with the European Union, the presidents of the
two countries said in Vienna on Tuesday.
VIENNA, Feb 20 (Hina) - Croatia and Austria will continue
strengthening friendly relations, particularly economic ties, and
Austria will support and assist Croatia in rapprochement with the
European Union, the presidents of the two countries said in Vienna
on Tuesday.#L#
Croatian President Stipe Mesic arrived in Vienna earlier today for
a three-day working visit to Austria, the first a Croatian
statesman pays after Croatia gained independence a decade ago.
"President Mesic's visit represents the culmination of relations
and will contribute to intensifying and strengthening the
traditionally good Croatian-Austrian relations," Austrian
President Thomas Klestil told a press conference after talks with
Mesic.
Mesic said Croatian-Austrian cooperation was "on the ascendant."
He stressed Croatia was interested in accessing EU and that Austria
wanted to see Croatia in European association as soon as possible.
"Austria sits at the European table and is doing everything to help
us sit at that table as well," said Mesic.
Austria's Klestil commended the efforts Croatia's new authorities
had made in the past year, managing to work on refugee returns
despite social and economic issues, intensifying cooperation with
UN's war crimes tribunal in The Hague, launching a media reform,
fortifying democracy and the rule-of-law, and working on regional
cooperation.
Klestil said the beginning of negotiations between Croatia and the
EU on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement last November was
an acknowledgement of the new government's successful efforts.
The Austrian head of state said he and his country advocated the
access of countries in central and eastern Europe to the EU. He
added the rapidity of access should depend on how fast those
countries accepted the European standard.
Klestil said Croatia's access to the EU could be addressed at a
summit the presidents of 14 central European states will hold in
Italy in June, as well as at a world economic forum in Salzburg.
The two heads of state said they expected Croatian-Austrian
economic cooperation to increase.
With a $817 million trade turnover in 2000, Austria is Croatia's
fourth foreign trade partner, and the third in investing, with $640
million thus far.
"We are partners in almost 600 companies and expect this
cooperation will continue growing," said Klestil.
Mesic said Croatia needed Austrian capital to activate its economic
and human resources. He mentioned road-building and the
modernisation of railways in Croatia which would connect the
Adriatic and Croatia with central and western Europe.
The two presidents also discussed the situation in the region.
Mesic said they shared the same points of view, namely that all open
issues should be resolved through dialogue and without using
force.
"We believe Croatia will contribute to stabilising the entire
region. Croatia, as well as the neighbouring countries, has to help
Bosnia and Herzegovina start functioning as a democratic and
European country as soon as possible," Mesic said.
Responding to questions from the press about the situation in
southern Serbia, he said that what was happening there and in Kosovo
was the result of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's
policy.
Milosevic has fallen but all the protagonists of his "aggressive
imperial policy" have not, Mesic said, stressing that Serbia's
democratic opposition should send new signals to ethnic Albanians
in Kosovo and southern Serbia, offering them the Europeisation of
Serbia, and the equality of national minorities.
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