ZAGREB, Aprlil 25 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on Thursday received the incoming Italian Ambassador to Croatia, Francesco Olivieri. Olivieri presented Tudjman with credentials.
ZAGREB, Aprlil 25 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on
Thursday received the incoming Italian Ambassador to Croatia,
Francesco Olivieri. Olivieri presented Tudjman with credentials.
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Olivieri said that he was aware of not only the tradition of
relations between Croatia and Italy, but also of the very important
times for the two countries.
Croatia had yesterday made a very important step towards the
European Union, Olivieri said, adding that he would try through his
work to contribute to the strengthening and development of overall
relations between Croatia and Italy.
Stressing Croatia's interest in developing overall and
friendly relations with Italy, Tudjman told Olivieri that he would
have full support from the Croatian government and himself in the
fulfillment of his duties.
Recalling Wednesday's decision of the Council of Europe
Parliamentary Assembly to admit Croatia in this oldest European
institution, Tudjman stressed that Croatia was a country which
through all its history belonged to central Europe and which
greatly contributed to the European civilization.
Tudjman stressed that Croatia gratefully recalled that Italy
had been one of the first countries to recognize Croatia as an
independent, sovereign state and that the Italian President Cossiga
had been the first foreign president who visited Croatia.
"By discarding its ties with the Balkans, Croatia and the
Croatian people, as one of the oldest people in Europe, want to be
an integral part of Europe to which they belong through its
history," Tudjman said.
Present at the talks were also the President's Chief-of Staff,
Ivo Sanader, the deputy to the foreign minister, Ivan Simonovic and
assistant to the President's advisor in charge of foreign politics,
Dubravka Plejic-Markovic.
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