ZAGREB, 14 Aug, 2021 - The Croatian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that according to available information, 23 Croatian nationals were currently in Afghanistan and that it was "following the situation in the country" and was at its nationals' disposal for any assistance.

The ministry said it was also "exchanging information with the partner countries."

The Croatian nationals in Afghanistan have not requested consular assistance and neither have their family members. "The companies which hired the Croatian citizens are organising the repatriation of their employees," the ministry said.

After the withdrawal of U.S. and Allied forces, the Taliban have been making lightning progress for weeks now. The radical Islamist group has occupied most of Afghanistan and is nearing the capital of Kabul, which has prompted Western countries to repatriate their embassy staff.

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May 13, 2021 - After his visit to Spain, Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gordan Grlic Radman announced the possibility of Croatia joining the Med 7 alliance.

Croatia might be joining the alliance of Mediterranean and southern European countries know as MED 7. Minister of Foreign Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman returned from a two-day visit to Madrid where he discussed this option with his Spanish colleague Minister Arancha Gónzalez Laya. The official announcement is expected in autumn at the yearly meeting of the alliance on Crete.

MEDT 7 or EuroMed 7 is an alliance of 7 countries of the Mediterranean region. Member countries are Spain, Greece, Italy, France, Portugal, Malta, and Cyprus. Portugal is the only country within the alliance that is not a Mediterranean country. However, it is a part of the wider region. MED 7 was established in 2013 following the initiative by Spain and Cyprus. The idea behind the group is to be able to form common stances on issues of interest. All countries in the group are EU countries.

Croatia to Fit in Well

According to Minister Grlic Radman, as reported by tportal.hr, Croatia fits well into the group and satisfies all necessary prerequisites for joining the alliance. He also expressed his belief in the need for Croatia to participate in discussions about the issues facing the Mediterranean region. Minister noted how the group will gain much from Croatian participation as well. In order to join the alliance, Croatia will have to approach each of the member countries individually.

Some of the main issues that the alliance might deal with in the near future are climate change, illegal immigration, pollution, and cooperation with non-European countries of the Mediterranean region.

It makes sense for Croatia to join such an alliance. After all, it does make up for most of the eastern Adriatic coastline. With the political power balance in the EU changing with Brexit finally coming to its end stage, it will be interesting to see whether Mediterranean countries can take a more important role in shaping EU policies.

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