BRATISLAVA, 28 Jan (Hina) - A Croatian delegation led by Premier Zlatko Matesa will pay a one-day official visit to Slovakia on Wednesday.
BRATISLAVA, 28 Jan (Hina) - A Croatian delegation led by Premier
Zlatko Matesa will pay a one-day official visit to Slovakia on
Wednesday. #L#
The Croatian premier will meet his Slovak counterpart Vladimir
Meciar, Slovakia's President Michal Kovac and Parliament President
Ivan Gasparovic.
Matesa will also meet with representatives of the Croat ethnic
community in Slovakia.
Ministers Matesa and Meciar are expected to sign a joint
statement stressing their mutual interest in widening economic
cooperation.
The signing of an agreement on free trade is one of conditions
for Croatia's admission to the Central European Free Trade
Association (CEFTA).
CEFTA gathers five central-European countries - the Czech
Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. In order to
become a full CEFTA member, Croatia has to sign bilateral
agreements with each CEFTA member state, become a member of the
World Trade Organisation (WTO) and sign an agreement on associate
membership with the European Union.
The Croatian Labour and Social Welfare Minister Joso Skara,
who is in the Croatian delegation, and his Slovak counterpart Olga
Keltosova are expected to sign an agreement on social insurance.
Since the establishment of their independence, relations
between Croatia and Slovakia are on the increase. Trade exchange is
increasing by year but it still has not reached the satisfactory
level. Last year's trade exchange amounted to US $ 107 million.
(hina) rm
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