ZAGREB, May 22, 2020 - Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman said on Friday that a virtual EU summit with the six Eastern Partnership countries would be held in June.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Minister Grlic Radman met at the National and University Library in Zagreb with ambassadors from EU member countries in Croatia.

They discussed Croatia's EU presidency in the context of the coronavirus pandemic and economic recovery.

Grlic Radman said that a summit would be held on the Eastern Partnership as part of Croatia's EU presidency in the second half of June, slightly more than a month after the EU-Western Balkans summit organised by Zagreb, which the minister said had "put the topic of EU enlargement back on the agenda."

"The summit on the Eastern Partnership will be held in the same way the (EU-Western Balkans) summit was held, in its full format," said Grlic Radman.

The Eastern Partnership countries are Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia and Moldova.

The EU has prepared for those countries a €960 million euro relief package to help them fight COVID-19 and alleviate the economic and social consequences of the pandemic.

According to Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman, the United States (USA) planned to waive visas for Croatian citizens by the end of 2020 when the two countries sign a Double Taxation Treaty. While US Ambassador Robert Kohorst backed the 2020 timeline in yesterday's interview, he also emphasized that Croatia has not yet met all the conditions. And an inside source has confirmed that a Double Taxation Treaty is still 3 to 4 years away.

USA Visa Waiver Contingent on Refusal Rate Reduction: UPDATE

In an interview with Paul Bradbury of Total Croatia News yesterday, February 19, 2020; US Ambassador Robert Kohorst commented on Grlić Radman's claim that Croatia has fulfilled the conditions for the visa waiver program. 

"We expect that there is a very good chance that Croatia will qualify for the Visa Waiver Program in 2020, but there are some things that need to be completed yet. Both, you get the refusal rate below 3%, which is calculated on September 30. So, it's starting to look like they'll achieve that goal, but it's still subject to what happens in terms of people applying for visas," he explained.

"The second one is that there is about four or five documents that need to be with the Department of Homeland Security. Those enrollment processes: Croatia is working hard on them. We expect them to be completed but they are not done yet. So, he (Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman) wasn't wrong in terms of expecting to get it done, but there is still some work to be done," he concluded.

USA Croatia Double Taxation Treaty Not Expected in 2020: UPDATE

According to an inside source, the USA Croatia Double Taxation Treaty will not be signed in 2020 and is likely 3 to 4 years away under the best circumstances. A Double Taxation Treaty portfolio has not yet been created by the US Treasury Department. After the portfolio has been created, it is a 2 year process to prepare the DTT Treaty for signature by both countries. Then it is sent to the US Senate for approval.

There are currently 30 countries ahead of Croatia on the USA DTT priority list.

Croatia Foreign Minister Claimed Visa Waivers, Double Taxation Treaty for 2020

"We have fulfilled all (conditions) and this is now just a matter of the exact time. It is in the interest of both Croatian and American businessmen," Grlić Radman told reporters on February 14, 2020. He had met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ahead of the start of the Munich Security Conference, the world's leading forum for discussing international security policy.

Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria and Cyprus are currently the only EU members for which the US has not yet waived visas. Citizens of Poland were exempted from the United States visa requirement at the end of 2019 according to Index on February 14, 2020.

After the meeting with Pompeo, Grlić Radman had said that the visa waivers and double taxation agreement would be implemented by the end of this year. 

Croatia Troop Withdrawal from Afghanistan?

Croatia and the US are NATO allies and cooperate closely in peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Poland and the Baltic States.

Asked if Croatia, like the US, would withdraw its forces from Afghanistan; the minister replied that Zagreb would coordinate an eventual troop withdrawal with Washington.

"It is a matter for the two countries' defense ministries, but we have reaffirmed that we will coordinate our actions. Croatia defends its interests through NATO and UN membership," he added.

Kiowa Helicopter Crash Discussed With Pompeo

Without going into detail, he indicated that he had spoken with Pompeo briefly about the acquisition of fighter jets and the recent Kiowa helicopter crash near Zablace. The USA had donated that aircraft to Croatia.

Grlić Radman will also meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif later on Friday.

"Croatia insists on respect for international law ... and we are doing everything we can to urge Iran to strictly adhere to the nuclear deal," said the senior Croatian diplomat, the country which currently holds the six-month EU presidency.

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