Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic called in Dubrovnik on Friday on the European Union countries which had not done so to ratify Croatia's Accession Treaty, recalling Zagreb's long and difficult road during the accession negotiations.
I invite the remaining EU countries to ratify our Accession Treaty so that Croatia can become an EU member in time, he said while opening the seventh Croatia Summit, which focuses on state building and prospective EU membership as a generator of social and political reforms.
Milanovic said Croatia's Euro-integration road was difficult and demanding. Croatia made bigger sacrifices than any other country in the previous enlargement rounds, he said, adding that Croatia had always paid a high price to achieve its goals.
He said that because of that experience, Croatia could help other countries in transition in institution building and development of democracy, regardless of whether they aspired to join the EU or not.
Milanovic said enlargement was the EU's most important policy and that Croatia would strongly push for the enlargement to continue based on each country's own reform achievements.
He said Croatia would help everyone in the process of aligning with European standards. We will do that as friends and partners, not as mentors, he said, stressing that Croatia would not obstruct its neighbours in their Euro-Atlantic integration because of bilateral disputes.
Croatian President Ivo Josipovic, too, called for the continuation of EU enlargement without delay and welcomed the EU's decision to open accession negotiations with Montenegro.
Speaking of Croatia's entry talks, he said they were held and completed during a time of crisis, challenges and problems in the EU. But we did the most when times were the hardest, both we and the EU, he said.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he was happy the summit was taking place in Dubrovnik, which he described as a magnificent city which still remembered the recent war.
But today we have a chance to look to the future, to a strong and united Europe, he said, adding that the prospect of membership in NATO, an anchor of freedom and security, was an incentive to reforms for the rule of law and the development of democracies.
Croatia represents a strong example to the countries in the region, said Rasmussen.
Commenting on the situation in the region, he said Macedonia must solve the dispute over its name with Greece, that Montenegro must come to grips with organised crime, and called on Serbia to intensify cooperation with its neighbours, the EU and NATO, underlining the necessity of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.
