RADIC HOLDS LECTURE IN VIENNA ON CRO RECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

VIENNA, March 1 (Hina) - Croatia is not seeking for help but partnership to realise joint projects, which could be of mutual benefit, Croatian Reconstruction and Development Minister Jure Radic said in Vienna on Monday. Radic held a lecture at the Austrian Chamber of Commerce on possibilities of strengthening the bilateral economic cooperation in reconstruction and development projects in his country. The Croatian Minister invited representatives of well-respected Austrian firms, interested in investing in Croatia, to come to Croatia and invest in various projects which offer possibilities for partnerships, such as building of infrastructure, high-ways, railways, airports etc. Radic talked about possibilities for partnership in tourism and industrial sector, adding that such cooperation could be improved in those segments in which Croatia had advantages, raw materials, experience and access to the market. A major part of the privatisation process in Croatia and the adjustment of laws to the European Union standards has been completed, Radic said. Croatia is in a phase when reconstruction becomes development, Radic said adding that conditions for the return were being created. Also present at the lecture was vice-chairwoman of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce Ingrid Tichy Schreder who emphasised very good economic relations between the two countries. Later in the day, Radic will talk about reconstruction and development projects in the Austrian industrials' association. In Vienna, Croatian Minister is also participating in a two-day international symposium of European engineering associations on European corridors. Radic told Hina that Croatia's main goal was the inclusion not only of the Posavina road, the Gorican-Zagreb-Rijeka highway and the Budapest-Osijek-Sarajevo-Ploce highway but also of the Adriatic highway and the Zagreb-Split highway into European traffic corridors. (hina) it