$ I ZAGREB, 28 Jan (Hina) - Croatia and Macedonia have friendly relations and their relations are on the ascending line in all fields, said the Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic and his Macedonian counterpart Ljubomir Frckovski
after they held talks in Zagreb on Tuesday.
FRCKOVSK
$ I
ZAGREB, 28 Jan (Hina) - Croatia and Macedonia have friendly
relations and their relations are on the ascending line in all
fields, said the Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic and his
Macedonian counterpart Ljubomir Frckovski after they held talks in
Zagreb on Tuesday. #L#
There are no open political questions between Croatia and
Macedonia and economic relations are on the ascending line, Granic
said.
Macedonia's Frckovski said that he had come to visit a
friendly country. It only remained to improve the already good
relations, he added.
The two ministers stressed that the two countries had started
talks on a free trade zone and that they would speed up their
negotiations about an agreement on property.
The two agreements would considerably improve economic
relations between Croatia and Macedonia, the two ministers said.
Both ministers stressed that the strategic aim of foreign
policies of the two countries was their admission to Euro-Atlantic
integration processes.
A considerable part of 'our good relations is mutual support
in international organisations', Frckovski said.
Croatia expected to continue talks on contractual relations
with the European Union end February, Granic said.
Today's talks had also tackled the establishment of links
between Croatia and Macedonia and Europe, Granic said.
Representatives of the two counties would meet in the
Macedonian capital of Skopje on 2 February and 'support the
establishment of directions which will link them' and in which both
countries were interested, Granic said.
Croatia would intensify talks on its admission to the Central
European Free Trade Association (CEFTA) with CEFTA member states.
'As regards the South-Eastern European Cooperation Initiative
(SECI), we will take part in individual programs but we will not be
a formal member', Granic said, reiterating Croatia's official
stance on the U.S. initiative.
'Economic and democratic reforms are a key to the stability of
countries in the region and standstills in those processes cause
problems to countries in Macedonia's neighborhood', Frckovski said,
speaking about the situation in the region, especially in Serbia
and Bulgaria.
Ministers Granic and Frckovski signed a consular convention
which is to facilitate economic, political and cultural
communication between the two countries.
President Franjo Tudjman and Premier Matesa would visit
Macedonia this year, Granic said.
(hina) rm
281442 MET jan 97