ZAGREB, April 22 (Hina) - Relations between Croatia and Hungary are very good and Hungary will fully support Croatia's admission into Euro-Atlantic integrations, Croatian and Hungarian Foreign ministers Mate Granic and Laszlo Kovacs
said in Zagreb on Monday.
ZAGREB, April 22 (Hina) - Relations between Croatia and Hungary are
very good and Hungary will fully support Croatia's admission into
Euro-Atlantic integrations, Croatian and Hungarian Foreign
ministers Mate Granic and Laszlo Kovacs said in Zagreb on Monday.
#L#
The two ministers on Monday signed a Protocol on succession of
two-way agreements between Croatia and Hungary by which the two
countries adopted a number of agreements which had been signed
between Hungary and the former Yugoslavia.
Kovacs arrived in Zagreb on Monday for a two-day official
visit to Croatia.
The two ministers described relations between Croatia and
Hungary as very good.
Hungary would fully support Croatia's efforts to be admitted
into Euro-Atlantic integrations, Kovacs said, adding that a
Hungarian delegation would vote on Wednesday in Strasbourg that
Croatia be admitted into the European Council.
Hungary would also support Croatia's efforts to be admitted
into the Central European Free Trade Association (CEFTA), which
should be discussed in May, as well as including Croatia in NATO's
"Partnership for Peace" program.
Croatia and Hungary were in friendly relations having similar
or equal interests: good neighbourly relations, protection of
minorities, peace and security in the region, as well as admittance
into European integrations, Granic said.
"The peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danubian area is
of vital importance for Hungary as the area is along the border
between Croatia and Hungary, because of the Hungarian minority in
the area and because it is important for settling the overall
crisis in the Balkans," Kovacs said.
"The process of peaceful reintegration is not proceeding at a
speed we would like it to, but we believe that it will be completed
in time, within the framework of the Zagreb-Erdut agreement,"
Granic said.
The process of withdrawing the heavy artillery had already
begun and the demilitarization of the area which should be
completed by June would begin soon, Granic said.
Granic expressed full support for the return of not only
Croatian refugees, but also of the Hungarian minority who had lived
in the Danubian area.
He expressed his conviction that the Zagreb-Belgrade highway
would be opened soon and that other regulations of recently signed
agreements between Croatia and Yugoslavia would be fulfilled.
The talks between the two ministers also focused on Bosnia-
Herzegovina, mainly on organizing the oncoming elections, the
return of refugees and performance of the Croato-Moslem Federation.
Recalling that the parliaments of the two countries had
already accepted the Agreement on Protection of Minorities, Kovacs
announced the opening of a Croatian primary and high school in
Budapest in September. He also asked for support for opening of
Hungarian schools in Osijek and Zagreb.
Speaking of economic cooperation, Kovacs said that trade
between Croatia and Hungary in the past year had been more
successful that before the war and that even better results were
expected this year.
Croatia supported the Hungarian company MOL in the process of
privatization of the Adriatic oil pipe-line, Granic said, adding
that the talks also tackled the issues of speeding up the
construction of railways and highways from the Hungarian border to
Rijeka.
Expressing his conviction that the Croatian Parliament would
pass an Act on free trade zones in May, Granic said that talks
between Croatia and Hungary would begin on opening a free trade
zone in Rijeka.
The two countries will soon sign agreements on the protection
of investments, prevention of double taxation and cooperation
between the two countries in the field of tourism.
Kovacs supported the oncoming visit of Croatian President
Franjo Tudjman, Premier Zlatko Matesa and Defense Minister Gojko
Susak to Hungary. He also announced the visit of the president of
the Hungarian Parliament and the tourism and culture minister to
Croatia.
Kovacs is to hold talks with Matesa, the president of the
Croatian Parliament, Vlatko Pavletic and Vice Premier Ivica
Kostovic on Monday.
Kovacs will also be received by Tudjman on Monday.
(hina) lm jn
221505 MET apr 96