GERMANY WANTS STRONGER ECONOMIC COOPERATION WITH CROATIA

( Editorial: --> 5756 ) STUTTGART, Jan 20 (Hina) - Germany wants stronger economic cooperation with its eastern central European neighbours, especially with Croatia, German Baden-Wuerttemberg state's Economy Minister Walter Doering said in Stuttgart on Tuesday. German concern Daimler-Benz organised a symposium entitled "Croatia in Europe" in Stuttgart on Tuesday at which many participants from Germany and Croatia will present Croatia as the German and European political and economic partner, as well as the new market. Highly qualified workers, relatively stable relations and a geographically favourable position are Croatia's economic advantages, Doering said. Combining politics, culture and economy, Daimler-Benz wants to create through this symposium a basis for strengthening business relations with Croatia as a model project of political engineering. Croatia was chosen as the economic bridge for opening the Adriatic region. Attending the symposium are the German and Croatian foreign ministers, Klaus Kinkel and Mate Granic, respectively, deputy speakers of the Croatian National Parliament Zarko Domljan and Drazen Budisa, Croatian Transport and Communications Minister Zeljko Luzavec, state secretary at the German Transport Ministry, Hans Jochen Henke, Croatian interior Minister Ivan Penic and Economy Minister Nenad Porges. (hina) lm mm 201126 MET jan 98