Croatia should be “small power instead of small state”

SPLIT Time has come for Croatia to be a “small power instead of a small state” after the EU accession, Croatia’s President Ivo Josipovic has stated. According to him, Croatia should become a small power that knows how to articulate its goals. Croatia should be “small power instead of small state” Josipovic is convinced that new opportunities will open for Croatia in a new phase of the country’s foreign policy. “As a European country we have new funds and we are moving toward Croatia that will stop being a ‘small country’ and become a ‘small power’,” the president said in his lecture dubbed “Foreign policy of the Republic of Croatia” in the town of Split. According to him, Croatia’s foreign policy has had characteristics of a small state since 1990 and the mail goal of such states it to “have a policy of keeping quiet in order to avoid making enemies”. “There is often a ‘big brother’ that steers them toward the goals. We will act as a part, meaning a representative of the EU in the region as of July 1,” Josipovic stressed. He assessed Croatia’s relations with Serbia as “very complex”, with Bosnia-Herzegovina as “complex”, with Montenegro as “extremely good”. Commenting on his country’s relations with Slovenia, the president said there were good chances of solving the long dispute about the debts of now defunct Ljubljanska banka. Josipovic stressed that borders with neighboring countries would not turn into a “Chinese wall” after Croatia’s EU accession and that they would be open for trade, reiterating that it was Croatia’s economic interest to cooperate with the neighboring countries. Commenting on Croatia’s global position, the president pointed out that “permanent strategic alliance with the U.S. remains” but added that the country would start looking to other “great economic states” as well. “We will not neglect some states and I would especially single our Russia and China as countries of great opportunities,” he explained Croatia’s plans for the future, adding that it was necessary to develop cooperation with India, Japan, Australia, Kuwait and Qatar. Ivo Josipovic (Beta, file) Tanjug

Croatia should be “small power instead of small state”

Josipović is convinced that new opportunities will open for Croatia in a new phase of the country’s foreign policy.

“As a European country we have new funds and we are moving toward Croatia that will stop being a ‘small country’ and become a ‘small power’,” the president said in his lecture dubbed “Foreign policy of the Republic of Croatia” in the town of Split.

According to him, Croatia’s foreign policy has had characteristics of a small state since 1990 and the mail goal of such states it to “have a policy of keeping quiet in order to avoid making enemies”.

“There is often a ‘big brother’ that steers them toward the goals. We will act as a part, meaning a representative of the EU in the region as of July 1,” Josipović stressed.

He assessed Croatia’s relations with Serbia as “very complex”, with Bosnia-Herzegovina as “complex”, with Montenegro as “extremely good”. Commenting on his country’s relations with Slovenia, the president said there were good chances of solving the long dispute about the debts of now defunct Ljubljanska banka.

Josipović stressed that borders with neighboring countries would not turn into a “Chinese wall” after Croatia’s EU accession and that they would be open for trade, reiterating that it was Croatia’s economic interest to cooperate with the neighboring countries.

Commenting on Croatia’s global position, the president pointed out that “permanent strategic alliance with the U.S. remains” but added that the country would start looking to other “great economic states” as well.

“We will not neglect some states and I would especially single our Russia and China as countries of great opportunities,” he explained Croatia’s plans for the future, adding that it was necessary to develop cooperation with India, Japan, Australia, Kuwait and Qatar.