ZAGREB, April 21, 2018 – Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić has met with representatives of the Croat community in Toronto where she is expected to take part in meetings of the G7 group which, she says, is “a great recognition” to Croatia, the Croatian foreign ministry said in a press release on Saturday.
Pejčinović Burić met with Croat Canadians on Friday evening, at the beginning of her North American tour during which she will also visit the United States.
According to the press release, more than 250,000 Croatian Canadians are a link between the two countries and potential for promoting economic relations. “This is a great recognition for Croatia and for the foreign ministry,” Pejčinović Burić said when asked why she received an invitation to take part in meetings of G7, a group of seven most developed countries in the world.
As a member of NATO and the European Union, Croatia shares common values on foreign policy issues, the minister said, adding that the stance Croatia was taking on current issues in the Security Council and the UN was very important.
“At this moment, regarding the issue of chemical weapons in Syria, Croatia has sided with western democracies,” the minister said. Croatia has supported the bombing of Syrian units, launched by three western countries in retaliation against the chemical weapon attack on civilians for which the West accuses the Syrian army.
The informal part of the G7 meeting is expected to focus on the situation in Syria, relations with Russia, Iran, the situation in Venezuela and the Korean peninsula, while the formal part will focus on inequality and the empowering of women as a key factor in the peace building process, the reduction of poverty and the economic growth.
Later on Saturday, Pejčinović Burić will meet her Canadian counterpart Chrystia Freeland to talk about possibilities to advance economic cooperation.
