ZAGREB, Nov 20 (Hina) - Croatia's presiding over the Central +European Initiative (CEI) has been great, Italian Premier Massimo +D'Alema said in Zagreb on Friday.+ D'Alema spoke to reporters after a meeting with Croatian +counterpart
Zlatko Matesa. The meeting was held as part of a two-day +Zagreb CEI summit which opened today.+ "I would like to congratulate the Croatian Premier on the really +excellent way Croatia has presided the CEI, an important +organisation for cooperation among countries long separated in the +economic, political, and security fields," said D'Alema.+ Italy was very engaged in the CEI as it believed cooperation was "a +condition for stability in democracy, welfare, higher employment, +and economic progress," the Italian Premier said, assessing a great +step forward in those fields had already been achieved.+ Croatian Premier Matesa confirmed Italy w
ZAGREB, Nov 20 (Hina) - Croatia's presiding over the Central
European Initiative (CEI) has been great, Italian Premier Massimo
D'Alema said in Zagreb on Friday.
D'Alema spoke to reporters after a meeting with Croatian
counterpart Zlatko Matesa. The meeting was held as part of a two-day
Zagreb CEI summit which opened today.
"I would like to congratulate the Croatian Premier on the really
excellent way Croatia has presided the CEI, an important
organisation for cooperation among countries long separated in the
economic, political, and security fields," said D'Alema.
Italy was very engaged in the CEI as it believed cooperation was "a
condition for stability in democracy, welfare, higher employment,
and economic progress," the Italian Premier said, assessing a great
step forward in those fields had already been achieved.
Croatian Premier Matesa confirmed Italy was indeed "one of the
principal factors of the entire process related to the CEI, and has
always made great effort to make the organisation effective."
With regard to bilateral relations, Matesa said political
relations between Croatia and Italy were on a considerable level,
having been especially fortified by Italian President Oscar Luigi
Scalfaro's visit to Croatia in 1997.
"Economic relations are progressing in the best possible way, since
Italy is one of Croatia's biggest foreign trade partners," Matesa
said, adding several projects very important for Croatia were
currently underway.
D'Alema said today's talks with Matesa also tackled the possibility
of holding a conference on security in the Adriatic Sea area as
this, he said, was "a common interest of both countries, and a
condition for progress and economic development."
Agreeing with Matesa that Croatian-Italian political relations
were very good, and asserting that, though good, economic and trade
cooperation could still grow, D'Alema said he had invited Matesa to
visit Italy with the aim to "further contribute to strengthening
the good relations between us."
Earlier today, the Croatian Premier held bilateral meetings with
high officials from Macedonia, the Czech Republic, Romania,
Slovakia, and the Ukraine.
Matesa said progress in economic relations was evident with all of
these countries.
Talks with representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development were especially good, he added, pointing out they
had asserted that Croatia was one of the bank's best partners.
(hina) ha