The two-day conference should become an annual event.
We must restore dignity to the Croatia’s diplomacy and give it a place it deserves in the state administration and society, said Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Friday at the conference of Croatia’s ambassadors in Zagreb, reports tportal.hr on August 25, 2017.
Plenković pointed out that the advantage of today’s Croatian political position is that at the top of the government there is a large number of former employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs, who know how it functions. President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković all worked at the Ministry.
“There is a theory that we are too diplomatically-minded as politicians, but I think this is our greatest advantage. We know what other countries are doing, and we are following European and global processes,” said Plenković. “The fact that we are here today shows whether it is an advantage or disadvantage to having diplomatic experience,” said Plenković.
Plenković stressed that, because of his experience as a state secretary and a diplomat, he is aware of how small the funds allocated to the Foreign Ministry are, but that now, as the one who decides on the budget, “there is no excuse not to address this issue.” “The fact is that the Foreign Ministry’s budget will be increased by 20 percent next year, which suggests that people who are making decisions on the budget today know the financial situation in the Ministry,” stated Plenković.
Plenković said to the assembled diplomats that he expected them to be exclusively Croatian ambassadors, referring to cases in which Croatian representatives in the world often seem to interpret what the country in which they live is telling them what should be the Croatian policy, which is why he considers that the duration of ambassadorial terms should not exceed four years. “Your job is to project Croatia what it is like in 2017, what we have hoped for since 1990, with regards to the values we belong to, to the standards we are aiming for, and to the interests we advocate,” he said.
Plenković noted that they operated in a world that was changing “faster than anybody could anticipate,” in the context of the revised policies of the United States, more assertive policies of Russia, and the environment marked by new challenges such as migration crisis and terrorist threats.
In the context of European politics, Plenković stressed the need to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of European institutions, to increase voter participation in the elections for the European Parliament, and to make the effects of the European budget in Croatia more visible. “I think that only with the construction of the Pelješac Bridge will it become evident to the wider public what it means to get grants in such amounts for such a major project,” he stated.
The EU membership should be used to strengthen Croatian exports and economic interests, which is why the cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with economic factors in the Croatian society and administration is necessary.
Speaking in general about the European Union, Plenković stressed that the fact that Brexit had happened was “one of the biggest stupidities in the political sense,” significantly altering the European alliance. A permanent member of the Security Council and the most influential member of the European defence system is leaving, and that will change the character of the EU, which is why it is necessary to return enthusiasm to the Union. He concluded that, with regards to the open issues with neighbours, Croatian diplomacy should be “firm” and “persistent in explaining our positions.” “We have to be very precise and articulated in explaining to others what we are advocating because others are doing it as well,” said the Prime Minister.
On Thursday evening, Plenković said the two-day conference of ambassadors would become a regular annual gathering of diplomats at the time of the first government’s session after the summer break to give diplomats basic guidelines for the implementation of official state foreign policy.
Translated from tportal.hr.
