Minister Grlić Radman holds trilateral meeting with Slovenian, Italian foreign ministers

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs on Wednesday held a trilateral meeting with Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar and Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio. The meeting was a follow-up to the three ministers' meeting in Trieste of December 2020.

Grlić Radman took the opportunity to thank Italy and Slovenia for their help after last year's earthquakes in Zagreb and Petrinja, underscoring that Croatia greatly appreciated its neighbours' solidarity.

Reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic, the minister said it was still our biggest challenge. 'As neighbouring countries and EU member states, we have been cooperating successfully since the very onset and I believe we will continue to do so in order to protect the health of our citizens and reduce the effects of the pandemic on our economies,' Grlić Radman said.

The minister welcomed the continued cooperation between the three countries' ministries after the Trieste meeting in areas of mutual interest - transport connectivity, blue economy and environmental protection.

In addition, Grlić Radman thanked Italy and Slovenia for supporting Croatia's joining the Schengen Area, eurozone and OECD, emphasizing that today's meeting was an opportunity for the three ministers to exchange views on EU enlargement, migration and the Conference on the Future of Europe. He reiterated Croatia's support for the priorities of Slovenia's upcoming EU presidency.

After the meeting, the three ministers signed a joint declaration, which Grlić Radman called an upgrade to what had been agreed upon in Trieste and a document reflecting all that had been concluded thus far with a view to strengthening the cooperation and stimulating projects.

Joint Declaration