SKOPJE, March 18 (Hina) - Croatia and Macedonia have traditionally good relations developed in the spirit of friendship and cooperation, said Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic and Macedonian Prime Minister Ljupco Georgijevski in
Skopje on Wednesday. Minister Granic commenced his two-day official visit to Skopje with the meeting with Prime Minister Georgijevski, and on Thursday he is to be received by Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov and Parliament's speaker, Savo Klimovski. Granic will also hold talks with his Macedonian counterpart, Aleksandar Dimitrov. The Croatian-Macedonian ties are the best example showing that we do not need a regional approach for the good cooperation between two countries, Granic told reporters adding that on behalf of Croatian Premier Zlatko Matesa, he invited Georgijevski to visit Croatia. We are interested in the cooperation in the political and economic fiel
SKOPJE, March 18 (Hina) - Croatia and Macedonia have traditionally
good relations developed in the spirit of friendship and
cooperation, said Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic and
Macedonian Prime Minister Ljupco Georgijevski in Skopje on
Wednesday.
Minister Granic commenced his two-day official visit to Skopje with
the meeting with Prime Minister Georgijevski, and on Thursday he is
to be received by Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov and
Parliament's speaker, Savo Klimovski. Granic will also hold talks
with his Macedonian counterpart, Aleksandar Dimitrov.
The Croatian-Macedonian ties are the best example showing that we
do not need a regional approach for the good cooperation between two
countries, Granic told reporters adding that on behalf of Croatian
Premier Zlatko Matesa, he invited Georgijevski to visit Croatia.
We are interested in the cooperation in the political and economic
fields. We have signed 18 different agreements and believe that we
shall promote significantly the economic cooperation, Croatian
Foreign Minister said.
Some of agreements signed by Croatia and Macedonia are treaties on
free trade, on stimuli to and the mutual protection of investment,
on avoidance of the double taxation, on scientific, technological
and educational cooperation, on trade and economic cooperation and
on the social insurance.
In order to increase the commodity exchange both countries should
ratify the free trade agreement until 1 January next year. In 1998
the trade between Croatia and Macedonia totalled 100 million
dollars, but the two countries plan to reach the record 600 million
dollars, which was the value of their trade while the two States
used to be members of the former Yugoslavia.
Premier Georgijevski expressed his wish that the traditional
friendship and ties between Zagreb and Skopje may assume a new
quality and be demonstrated in the political, economic and cultural
cooperation.
Minister Granic and his Macedonian host discussed also the
situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina and in Kosovo and other regional
issues.
Croatia and Macedonia firmly support efforts of the Contact Group
to solve the Kosovo problem and finish the peace process in Bosnia,
Granic said.
Considering the Euro-Atlantic integration processes, we have the
same strategic aims, he added.
Croatia aspires to coming closer to the European Union, being
included into the PHARE Programme, joining the World Trade
Organisation (WTO) and becoming a member of the NATO-led
Partnership for Peace. On this path Macedonia has been somewhat
ahead and has already concluded an agreement with the EU on
cooperation and is a Partnership for Peace member-state.
Granic added that they also talked about the exchange of visits at
all levels and about the multilateral cooperation.
(hina) ms