ZAGREB, May 17 (Hina) - As the next country to chair the European Union, Finland will absolutely support Croatia's drawing closer to the EU, on condition the country meets criteria placed before all countries wishing to access the EU,
the state secretary in the Finnish Foreign Ministry, Jukka Valtasaari, said in Zagreb on Monday. The Finnish official, who is on a two-day visit to Croatia, today met Croatian Deputy Foreign Minister Ivo Sanader, with whom he discussed relations between the two countries, the Kosovo crisis and Croatia's efforts to access the EU, which will be chaired by Finland in the second half of 1999. It is Finland's historical experience that European integration processes are inclusive and not exclusive, and Croatia is definitely included in them, Valtasaari said. The two officials described the bilateral relations as good.The two countries should soon sign
ZAGREB, May 17 (Hina) - As the next country to chair the European
Union, Finland will absolutely support Croatia's drawing closer to
the EU, on condition the country meets criteria placed before all
countries wishing to access the EU, the state secretary in the
Finnish Foreign Ministry, Jukka Valtasaari, said in Zagreb on
Monday.
The Finnish official, who is on a two-day visit to Croatia, today
met Croatian Deputy Foreign Minister Ivo Sanader, with whom he
discussed relations between the two countries, the Kosovo crisis
and Croatia's efforts to access the EU, which will be chaired by
Finland in the second half of 1999.
It is Finland's historical experience that European integration
processes are inclusive and not exclusive, and Croatia is
definitely included in them, Valtasaari said.
The two officials described the bilateral relations as good.
The two countries should soon sign an agreement on investment
protection with the aim of improving those relations.
Sanader and Valtasaari also discussed visa requirements,
introduced last year by Scandinavian countries for Croatian
citizens, after the start of a more massive departure of Croatian
Serbs seeking asylum in Norway and Denmark.
"I have accepted with pleasure the promise of Mr Valtasaari that his
government would consider the issue", Sanader said.
The Finnish official explained that visa requirements for Croatian
citizens had been introduced only temporarily.
Speaking about the Stability Pact for south-east Europe, Sanader
stressed Croatia's interest in the success of the Pact.
It is important for all countries which will be included in the Pact
to participate in preparing the document, Sanader said, adding this
was already being done.
Croatia hopes that the initiative will come to life in such a way to
secure an individual approach to every country wishing to join
European and trans-Atlantic integration processes, Sanader said.
The two officials also discussed Finland's current initiative on
solving the Kosovo crisis.
(hina) rml