ZAGREB, March 27 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan on Tuesday met Great Britain's Secretary of State for Education and Employment, David Blunkett, with whom he discussed cooperation in the development of education and
employment systems. The meeting was also attended by Racan's deputy Zeljka Antunovic, who after the talks signed a Joint Statement on Education and Employment with Blunkett.
ZAGREB, March 27 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan on
Tuesday met Great Britain's Secretary of State for Education and
Employment, David Blunkett, with whom he discussed cooperation in
the development of education and employment systems.
The meeting was also attended by Racan's deputy Zeljka Antunovic,
who after the talks signed a Joint Statement on Education and
Employment with Blunkett. #L#
During the signing ceremony, which was attended by Prime Minister
Racan, Blunkett said that he would see that productive and mutually
useful activities and cooperation with the Croatian government,
which demonstrated great courage in reforms, visions and
leadership in the region, resumed.
The Joint Statement provides a framework for continuing and
developing ties between Croatia and Great Britain and it represents
a sound basis for future joint activities, Britain's Blunkett said
in a written statement distributed to reporters.
"The Joint Statement will enable the exchange of experience and
information on those areas which we in the government hold
exceptionally important," said Antunovic, adding that reforms in
the Croatian school system and a higher quality of education should
result in work force with skills and knowledge necessary for
concrete jobs.
"Croatia wants to inaugurate multiculturality and education for
democracy and civil society, which is supported by the British
government, and we will certainly cooperate in that field in the
future," Antunovic added.
Blunkett, who is visiting Croatia at Racan's invitation, yesterday
met Croatia's Education and Technology Minister Hrvoje Kraljevic
and took part in a seminar on higher education, which is being held
in Zagreb. The seminar was organised by the British Institute and
Croatia's Science and Education Ministry. The British official,
who is blind from his birth and has a guide dog, yesterday also
visited the Croatian Association for the Training of Guide Dogs and
Mobility, which the British Embassy in Zagreb recently donated
6,400 kuna-worth office equipment.
(hina) sb rml