ZAGREB, 23 Aug 2021 - Croatia offers Ukraine its experience in the peaceful reintegration of occupied areas and also assistance in the removal of land mines, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Monday after meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal in Kiev.

Croatia entirely supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and it possesses specific skills that can help this eastern European country to peacefully reintegrate its occupied areas, the Croatian PM said.

Recalling the developments in the 1990s, Plenković emphasized the fact that Croatia's peaceful reintegration of its Danube region "has been one of the most successful UN-run operations ever, particularly on European soil."

He added that Croatia is already helping Ukraine with its experience in addressing the issues and needs of war veterans, and pledged the support of Zagreb to Ukrainian efforts to remove landmines. We have companies specialized in de-mining and we are willing to make our assistance available to Ukrainian authorities, he said.

Plenković arrived in Kiev on Sunday to take part in the inaugural summit of the Crimean Platform, which is taking place on the eve of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence.

Seven years have passed since the Russian annexation of Crimea. The fighting that ensued between the Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists after the annexation has claimed 13,000 lives.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who announced the launch of the Crimean Platform last year, has recently said that the platform intended to address the issue of the militarization of that peninsula, the liberation of more than 1000 Ukrainians who are political prisoners and to consider the status of Crimean Tatars.

The USA and the European Union stand firmly by Ukraine and continue imposing sanctions against Russia. Germany and France are mediators within the so-called Normandy Format talks.

Ukraine's Shmyhal thanked Plenković for all his support to Ukraine on its journey to Europe.

Croatia is an advocate of Ukraine's European journey, and helps Kiev in the implementation of the Europe-bound reforms and in the processes envisaged by the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, he added.

Plenković underscored that it was important that targets set out in the EU climate policy and energy policy be a part of the implementation of the association agreement.

Shmyhal also invited Plenković to pay a bilateral visit to Ukraine this autumn.

Plenković thanked Ukraine for its assistance in the aftermath of the devastating quakes that hit Croatia in 2020 and in the evacuation of Croatian nationals from Afghanistan.

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ZAGREB, 5 June 2021 - Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said on Saturday that Croatia was a committed advocate of Bosnia and Herzegovina's journey towards the Euro-Atlantic institutions, and interested in enabling Croats to have an equal status with the other two constituent peoples in that country.

Addressing a conference organised in Split on the occasion of the launch of a four-volume book written by Bosnian Croat leader, Dragan Čović, the Croatian minister of foreign and European affairs said that the book testified about Čović's political struggle ad also about economic, media and diplomatic aspects of the fight for the Croatian cause.

Commenting on the developments in the last 26 years since the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords which was co-signed also by Croatia, the minister said that some aberrations, that's disrespect, for the rights had happened.

Some of international diplomats and envoys sent to Bosnia and Herzegovina changed some of the provisions of the agreement to the detriment of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he added.

A resolution adopted by the Croat National Council (HNS) in Mostar on Friday established that it was necessary to amend the election legislation so as to ensure the legitimate representativeness of Croats at all levels of powers, he recalled.

Outvoting of Croats such was the case in the election of the Croat member of the current presidency (Željko Komšić) was against the spirit and letter of the Dayton Accords, he said.

Being a responsible member of the European Union and NATO Croatia is supposed to inform the international community of the status of the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina and about the need to amend the election legislation, as only the equitable election legislation is a guarantee of a stable, functional and prosperous Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Croatian minister said.

The four-volume book titled "Iznad Crte" ("Above the Line" in an unofficial translation"), which was presented today in Split is about the 20-year-long political activities of Čović, who currently serves s the Bosnian House of Peoples' deputy speaker.

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