STATEMENT OF PRESIDENT TUDJMAN BEFORE HIS VISIT TO ROUMANIA

ZAGREB/BUCHAREST (Hina/ROMPRES) - President of the Republic of Croatia Dr. Franjo Tudjman gave his statement to the Rumanian News Agency (ROMPRES) at the occasion of his official visit to Rumania on Monday. In his statement, published by ROMPRES in Bucharest this morning, President Tudjman stressed that he was attaching the great importance to this visit, since the Republic of Rumania was one of the first countries to recognize Croatia, and the Rumanian President Iliescu was one of the first statesmen to pay visit to the independent Republic of Croatia. President Tudjman added: "The great importance is given to the visit also because of the aim to develop the bilateral relationships. However, I would put the great importance to it primarily because of the exchange of our opinions on the current international situation, on the crisis on the area of the former Yugoslavia and the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which not only affects us in Croatia and B-H that are directly stricken by war, but also all neighbouring countries. In this context, Rumania is not only interested in developments on the ground, but it is a country that can impact a solution to the crisis in the former Yugoslavia. Therefore, the visit of the Croatian delegation to Rumania has such an importance at the moment, besides its purpose to develop bilateral relationships." Croatian President Tudjman said that the talks in Rumania should be focused on the bilateral relations. He estimated that they were not so developed as they could have been. According to President Tudjman, the relations between Croatia and Rumania would depend on solution to the international crisis on the area of the former Yugoslavia, which was at the moment attracting the attention not only of the countries in Southeastern Europe and on the Balkans but also of entire Europe even of the world. 211106 MET nov 93