Foreign Minister in Prague for V4 conference

Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman was in Prague for a V4 ministerial conference on EU enlargement.

The conference, held in the Czech capital, was held as part of the Czech V4 presidency and was attended by representatives from the Western Balkans, as well as Austria, Slovenia, and the EU's Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi.

Addressing the event, Grlić Radman welcomed the fact that the Czech presidency continued to be involved with the Western Balkan countries, as was the case with the previous V4 chairs. Croatia, for its part, welcomes the ongoing cooperation and the continuation of political dialogue in this format. Moreover, Grlić Radman underscored that one of the goals of Croatia's EU presidency was the success of the EU-Western Balkans summit scheduled for May in Zagreb.

The Croatian minister said he expected to receive some positive news next week regarding the EU prospects for North Macedonia and Albania. "We remain very hopeful and we expect to have a concrete date in place for the start of accession negotiations for the two countries before the Western Balkan Summit in Zagreb," said Grlić Radman.

The minister was hopeful that the summit, 20 years after the Zagreb Summit and 17 years after the Thessaloniki Summit, would send a strong message about EU prospects for the Western Balkans.

Source: MVEP