HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT VISITS CROATIAN NATIONAL PARLIAMENT

ZAGREB, Sept 28 (Hina) - The future cooperation between Croatia and Hungary and the creation of a nucleus of European regions were main topics of Tuesday's talks between the President of the Croatian national Sabor, Vlatko Pavletic, and Hungary's President Arpad Goencz who arrived in Zagreb yesterday on a two-day state visit to Croatia.#L# After he toured the Croatian Sabor and held talks with Pavletic, President Goencz said that during all contacts with Croatia to date Hungary had accentuated the necessity for cooperation between the two countries. What is new in today's talks is perhaps that we have directed our attention to the creation of a nucleus of European regions though the cooperation via borders, Goencz said. We used the visit of Hungarian President to Sabor to find those points where our both political and economic ties must be further developed, Pavletic told reporters. According to a statement issued by the Sabor's public relations office after Goencz's visit to the Croatian parliament, Pavletic and the Hungarian statesman agreed that the joint past, the settlement of all former problems, geopolitical interest and the current exceptionally good inter-state relations guarantee even stronger political and economic cooperation in the future. They stressed that in their future membership in the European community, small peoples, like Croatians and Hungarians, must try to preserve their identities. They described the road linking between Budapest and the Croatian biggest sea port of Rijeka as a priority task. In addition, the integration of oil companies and good regional cooperation between areas at the Croatian-Hungarian border are also important. The President of the Sabor's House of Counties, Katica Ivanisevic, thanked for assistance Hungary had offered to he country during the war. Hungarian President will hold talks with Croatian Premier Zlatko Matesa today as well. (hina) ms