State Secretary Raščan at the meeting of ministers of the US-Adriatic Charter

24. 11. 2021

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

At the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Croatia, State Secretary Stanislav Raščan attended the ministerial meeting of the Adriatic Charter under the Croatian Chairmanship. This regional initiative is uniting the Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, and North Macedonia) and the United States of America, with the Republic of Kosovo and Serbia participating as observers.

Participants sitting at the table — The meeting of ministers of the US-Adriatic Charter | Author Ministrstvo za zunanje zadeve

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Slovenia is regularly attending the meetings at the invitation of the presiding country, thus expressing support for reform efforts of member states and security, stability and prosperity in the region. Slovenia is particularly involved in activities related to the accession of these countries to Euro-Atlantic integrations.

At the ministerial meeting of the US-Adriatic Charter, State Secretary Raščan took part in the debate on the security challenges in South-Eastern Europe, focusing on the Euro-Atlantic processes. He stressed that the stability of the Western Balkans is key for security and stability in Europe and in the Euro-Atlantic area. Close cooperation between the EU and NATO in addition to the active role of the US is important in promoting the reform processes in the region.

State Secretary Raščan underlined that the Western Balkans are one of the main priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU. He went on to present an overview of the key agreements from the Brdo Declaration adopted at the meeting of EU and Western Balkan leaders in October 2021, especially those aimed at the socio-economic development of the region and enhanced cooperation in political and security areas.

On the margins of the meeting, State Secretary Stanislav Raščan also met with Zdenko Lucić, State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia. They confirmed the good cooperation between the two countries in numerous areas. The Croatian State Secretary Lucić thanked Slovenia for lending supplies of the Pfizer vaccine to Croatia in mid-November 2021. The officials went on to exchange the views on development and multilateral cooperation and experience in economic diplomacy. State Secretary Lucić requested Slovenia’s support for Croatia’s entry into the Schengen system and membership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). They also discussed the opportunities to enhance collaboration between the two countries in European development cooperation.