US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Zagreb on Wednesday for her first visit to Croatia at the end of a tour of North Africa and Southeast Europe. She was welcomed at Zagreb airport by Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusic.
Clinton is scheduled to meet for talks with Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic and Pusic, after which she will be received by President Ivo Josipovic.
According to a statement issued by the State Department last week, the talks will focus on Croatia's role in NATO, its forthcoming accession to the European Union, and economic relations.
Clinton met with Pusic in March when she praised Croatia for the reforms it had carried out and called it a regional leader.
Clinton arrived in Zagreb after visiting Algeria, where she requested support for curbing the Islamist threat in neighbouring Mali, and brief visits to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo where she called for reforms and dialogue.
While in Sarajevo, Clinton reaffirmed the United States' commitment to the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, urging its politicians to unite in implementing reforms necessary for the country's Euro-Atlantic integration. She also encouraged Belgrade and Pristina to implement reforms and pursue dialogue, without demanding that Serbia recognise Kosovo's independence, but noting that Washington did not support changing of the borders in Europe.
