U.S. – Adriatic Charter meeting in Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik, August 7 – Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the U.S.-Adriatic Charter countries met today in the Croatian coastal city of Dubrovnik. Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Miomir Zuzul met with his Macedonian and Albanian colleagues, Ilinka Mitreva and Kastriot Islami, as well as with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kathleen Stephens.

The three Ministers agreed to provide mutual support on the road to NATO membership and pledged further cooperation in the process of NATO and European Union integration. The Ministers also expressed their support to the integration of the region as a whole into European and trans-Atlantic alliances, especially in regard to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia-Montenegro, as these countries continue socio-political reforms.

“By developing friendly relations with neighbors who have the same interests and goals as us, we are contributing to the stability of the entire region,” said Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Miomir Zuzul.

The Ministers of Croatia, Albania and Macedonia expressed satisfaction with NATO’s “open door” policy and stressed their commitment to the fulfillment of the criteria necessary for the beginning of accession talks into the NATO alliance. The Ministers also repeated their support in regard to the role NATO is playing in stabilizing Afghanistan and to the international coalition’s efforts in Iraq. The three U.S.-Adriatic Charter countries announced that they will provide additional support to the NATO mission in Afghanistan by sending a joint medical team to this country.

The three Ministers of Foreign Affairs presented a six-month “Action Plan” which will be coordinated by the Republic of Croatia. The plan calls for a number of joint events to be held in the coming months, including meetings of the Parliament Speakers of the three countries and meetings among Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Defense.

The preamble of the U.S.-Adriatic Charter states that admission of the U.S.-Adriatic Charter countries into NATO will be based on individual accomplishments.