SEGEDIN, June 24 (Hina) - Croatia's Foreign Minister Tonino Picula arrived in Segedin, Hungary, on Friday evening at the head of a Croatian delegation to attend a Central European Initiative ministerial summit on Saturday. Upon
arrival, Picula held talks with the summit's host, Hungarian colleague Janos Martony. Speaking to the press earlier today, Picula said Hungary was interested in C-5, a European corridor which would connect Budapest and the southern Croatian port of Ploce. This corridor, he added, alongside the Budapest-Rijeka corridor and a highway running along the Adriatic-Ionian coastline, would help Croatia resolve most of its transport-related issues. "The fact that this (the talks with Martony) was the very first bilateral meeting within the CEI summit shows how much the host cares about developing even better relations with the Republic of Croatia," said Minister Picula. During ta
SEGEDIN, June 24 (Hina) - Croatia's Foreign Minister Tonino Picula
arrived in Segedin, Hungary, on Friday evening at the head of a
Croatian delegation to attend a Central European Initiative
ministerial summit on Saturday. Upon arrival, Picula held talks
with the summit's host, Hungarian colleague Janos Martony.
Speaking to the press earlier today, Picula said Hungary was
interested in C-5, a European corridor which would connect Budapest
and the southern Croatian port of Ploce. This corridor, he added,
alongside the Budapest-Rijeka corridor and a highway running along
the Adriatic-Ionian coastline, would help Croatia resolve most of
its transport-related issues.
"The fact that this (the talks with Martony) was the very first
bilateral meeting within the CEI summit shows how much the host
cares about developing even better relations with the Republic of
Croatia," said Minister Picula.
During talks with Hungary's foreign minister, Picula mentioned the
construction of a Budapest-Ploce highway which would cross Osijek
and Sarajevo. Hungary was very interested and the two ministers
agreed to resume talks and possibly draft a feasibility study.
The two ministers addressed other bilateral issues as well,
agreeing a Croatia-Hungary free trade agreement should be signed as
soon as possible.
Picula said Hungary voiced satisfaction with the democratic
changes Croatia had effected this year and with what it had done to
integrate with Euro-Atlantic structures. Hungary fully supported
the continuation of the integration process and offered assistance
and its experience in negotiating with the European Union.
The two foreign ministers agreed Budapest would host on September
13 a prime ministers' conference, with Croatia's Ivica Racan
participating, at which the Italy-Hungary-Slovenia trilateral
association would accept Croatia as full-right fourth member.
Preparations for the conference will be held in late August at a
deputy foreign ministers' meeting, also in Hungary.
(hina) ha