PRAGUE, Jan 22 (Hina) - Croatia and the Czech Republic have a similar past and the same strategic goals for the future such as admittance to the European Union and NATO, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic and his Czech counterpart,
Jan Kavan, said on Friday . Granic and his Czech host in Prague discussed a series of bilateral and multilateral issues. They agreed on resuming concrete talks on the establishment of a free trade zone between the two countries, as it was one of the preconditions for Croatia to join the CEFTA (Central European Free Trade Agreement). The two ministers signed two bilateral treaties - an agreement on air traffic and an agreement on double tax avoidance - that should help promote the economic cooperation between the two countries. Granic voiced belief that his visit to Prague would provide an impetus for the further development of the Croatian-Czech ties. The aims of
PRAGUE, Jan 22 (Hina) - Croatia and the Czech Republic have a
similar past and the same strategic goals for the future such as
admittance to the European Union and NATO, Croatian Foreign
Minister Mate Granic and his Czech counterpart, Jan Kavan, said on
Friday .
Granic and his Czech host in Prague discussed a series of bilateral
and multilateral issues.
They agreed on resuming concrete talks on the establishment of a
free trade zone between the two countries, as it was one of the
preconditions for Croatia to join the CEFTA (Central European Free
Trade Agreement).
The two ministers signed two bilateral treaties - an agreement on
air traffic and an agreement on double tax avoidance - that should
help promote the economic cooperation between the two countries.
Granic voiced belief that his visit to Prague would provide an
impetus for the further development of the Croatian-Czech ties.
The aims of Croatia and the Czech Republic, the ministers said, is
to promote the economic cooperation, which totalled 275 million
dollars in 1998, particularly by joint investments.
The Czech Republic is interested in investing into Croatia, in
particular, into the modernisation of the ports of Rijeka and
Ploce, Kavan said.
The two ministers exchanged experience acquired in attempts to come
closer to Euro-Atlantic associations.
Croatia is interested in the Czech experience in this respect,
Granic said adding that the war and aggression against his country
and the war in neighbourly Bosnia-Herzegovina presented obstacles
for the slow approach of Croatia to European associations.
Croatia's realistic expectations for this year are to be admitted
to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), to sign bilateral agreements
on the free trade zone with CEFTA member-states, to join the PHARE
programme and to cooperate within the Central European Initiative
(CEI), Granic said.
Kavan said Croatia had to respect human rights, since it would be
important for its role in a united Europe.
The Czech minister added that before entering the CEFTA, Croatia
should sign bilateral treaties on the free trade zone with each
member-state of that organisation, become a WTO member-state, and
sign an agreement on the associate membership with the EU.
We shall support Croatia in its negotiations on the admittance to
the WTO, Kavan said.
The two ministers also discussed relations between Croatia and its
neighbourly countries and the situation in Kosovo.
They condemned crimes against civilians in that conflict-ridden
province in the south of Yugoslavia.
The clearance scheme for a debt, amounting to 2.5 million dollars,
will be discussed by delegations of Croatian and Czech Economy
Ministries at talks scheduled for February.
On Friday morning, Minister Granic held talks with the head of the
Czech parliamentary committee for European associations, Jaroslav
Zverin, and the President of the Czech Senate, Libusa Beneseva.
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