31 Mar. 2003

Lord Robertson visits Croatia During a visit to Zagreb on 31 March NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson said NATO’s door remains open and encouraged Croatia to carry on with key reforms. Lord Robertson met with President Stjepan Mesic, Prime Minister Ivica Racan and other ministers. He also addressed a joint session of the Croatian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Internal Affairs and National Security Committees. The Secretary General praised the progress Croatia has made to date and encouraged its leadership to carry on with reforms. He highlighted in particular the need for further progress in restructuring Croatia’s armed forces. He also said Croatia must ensure the full protection of minorities, facilitate the return of refugees and cooperate fully with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Croatia has been a NATO partner country since 2000 and in May last year joined NATO’s Membership Action Plan, which is designed to assist those countries which wish to join the Alliance in their preparations. Additional information: NATO Press Release (2003)033 - 31 March 2003 NATO Secretary General to visit the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 1 and Croatia OTAN Communiqué de presse (2003)033 - 31 mars 2003 Visite du Secrétaire général de l’OTAN dans l’Ex-République Yougoslave de Macédoine 1 et en Croatie Turkey recognises the Republic of Macedonia with its constitutional name.