ZAGREB, 18 Sept (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on Wednesday received the president of the Bavarian government and chairman of the German Bundestag upper house, Edmund Stoiber, a statement from the President's Office
said.
ZAGREB, 18 Sept (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on
Wednesday received the president of the Bavarian government and
chairman of the German Bundestag upper house, Edmund Stoiber, a
statement from the President's Office said. #L#
Tudjman presented his guest with an Order of King Dmitar
Zvonimir medal.
Tudjman said that he was especially pleased to present the
high state decoration to the president of the Bavarian government
and one of the most prominent German statesmen for his and his
country's contribution to the development of friendly relations
between Croatia and Germany and between Croatia and the European
Union.
Stoiber thanked for the decoration, adding his government
supported Croatia's development as well as its integration into the
European Union.
Stoiber said that the main purpose of his visit was to
intensify investments of Bavarian middle-sized companies into
Croatia and strengthen the economic cooperation between the two
countries, now that Belgrade had also recognized Croatia.
Croatia's main goal was to join European integration processes
as a central-European country, since it belonged to Central Europe,
President Tudjman said.
Croatia would accept its share of responsibility for the
stability of this part of Europe, but its return to the Balkans was
out of the question, he added.
As regarded the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, it was
necessary to fully implement the Dayton peace agreement, Tudjman
said. Of special importance were also the implementation of the
Washington agreement and strengthening of the Croat-Muslim
Federation and its ties to Croatia.
Expressing hope for Croatia's economic revival, its
cooperation with Germany and Bavaria, Stoiber said he would support
Croatia's admission to European institutions and the realization of
economic contracts with the European Union.
Today's talks were also attended by Tudjman's Chief-Of-Staff
Ivo Sanader, Minister Branko Mocibob, Croatian Ambassador to
Germany, Zoran Jasic and the Croatian consul general in Munich, Ivo
Simek.
Stoiber was accompanied by Hans Spitzner, state secretary in
the Bavarian state Ministry of Economy, Transport and Technology
and Volker Haak, German Ambassador to Croatia.
(hina) rm
181534 MET sep 96