Croatian Ambassador to Turkey Mr. Drazen Hrastic: ‘Turkey is a Very Important Country With a Perspective of Playing an Even More Prominent Role’

Date: 25.04.2012

The fourth session of the USAK seminar series “The Balkans in the 21st Century and Diplomacy” was held today at the USAK Workshop Hall with the participation of H.E. Mr. Drazen Hrastic, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to Turkey.

The conference was hosted by USAK Deputy Director Prof. Dr. Kamer Kasım and USAK Balkans Experts Muzaffer Kutlay, Sena Hatip Dincyurek and Oguz Kaan Pehlivan. It was also attended by Ambassador of Bulgaria H.E. Mr. Krasimir Tulecki, Ambassador of Montenegro H.E. Mr. Ramo Bralic, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina H.E. Mr. Dragoljub Ljepoja and Ambassador of Macedonia H.E. Mr. Goran Taskovski, as well as many diplomats of other countries, bureaucrats, scholars, experts of the region, representatives of several NGOs and graduate students.

The title of Mr. Hrastic’s speech was “Croatia’s Path to Euro-Atlantic Structures and the Regional Dimension of Croatia’s Foreign Policy.” Ambassador Hratic summarized the foreign policy priorities of Croatia in the portions concerning multilateral and bilateral cooperation. For multilateral cooperation, he referred first to EU and NATO memberships, his country’s active involvement in international organizations, its contribution to international security efforts and the strengthening of Croatia’s global and regional economic ties. For bilateral cooperation, he mentioned the goal of good neighborly relations and the importance of regional cooperation, as well as cooperation with key partners and the development of economic diplomacy.

EU and NATO Membership Processes ‘Painful and Not Always Welcoming’

Mr. Drazen Hrastic said that the membership processes for the EU and NATO were neither short nor very easy ones for Croatia. He expressed the challenges they faced by saying they were painful processes and not always very welcoming. He also mentioned the fact that its EU membership was not supported by all parts of its society. His remark on the EU membership process was rather intimate: “This process has changed my country.”

‘If We Were a Member of NATO by Then, We Would Not Be Exposed to the Devastating Wars of the ‘90s’

Mr. Hrastic placed emphasis on the NATO membership Croatia gained in 2009 by stating that NATO is a very important securitizing and stabilizing factor. He also added regarding Croatia: “If we were a member of NATO by then, we would not be exposed to the devastating wars of the ‘90s.”
Ambassador Hrastic expressed Croatia’s positive view of its coming EU membership, and in terms of the Balkans, he said “The Balkans are Europe’s unfinished business.” Croatia is happy to be joining the Union next year “even if it is not the best time.”

‘The Distance Between Zagreb and Istanbul Is Almost Equal to the Distance Between Zagreb and Brussels’

On the issue of relations with Turkey, Mr. Hrastic emphasized the fact that Turkey was one of the leading countries trying to solve the disputes of the 1990s, and supported Croatia’s membership in NATO. Today, Croatia is a supporter of Turkey’s membership in the EU “not only for Turkey’s good but also for the EU’s benefits.”

As a personal remark, he also added that he believed “Turkey is a victim of its own success.” He expressed the geographical position of the two countries with the following comparison: “The distance between Zagreb and Istanbul is almost equal to the distance between Zagreb and Brussels.”
In concluding his words, Mr. Hrastic said that “Turkey is a very important country with a perspective of playing an even more prominent role in the international arena.”

By Sena Hatip Dinçyürek
USAK-JTW