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Pompeo – Plenković Meeting: Visa Abolition for Croats Soon on the Horizon

As a part of his “Mediterranean tour”, a meeting between the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković was held in Dubrovnik this Friday. On that occasion, the participants touched on topics relevant to the deepening of the existing NATO partnership, but also the future possibility for Croatian citizens to enter the United States without the now necessary visa.

“With the reminder that we are allies within NATO, we especially touched on the fact that in the past few years we have fulfilled all the preconditions for the abolition of visa requirements for Croatian citizens in the United States,” said Plenković.

“We have announced further work on the agreement on the avoidance of double taxation, which means a lot for economic activities and for the citizens of both countries,” he added.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 pandemic affected the number of visits by American tourists this year, which compared to last year’s almost 650 thousand was slightly less than 35 thousand.

“We hope to work together to turn a new page and restore this trend. Thus, Dubrovnik will not only have one direct air line with Philadelphia, but also more,” the Prime Minister stated.

“Our relationship has progressed so much in the last three decades. Just as these historic fortresses have protected you from war over the centuries, so our faith in democracy, the free market, and the world of law will keep you safe and prosperous. We work together in NATO to protect the freedoms of our peoples. Thank you for your contribution to the missions in which excellent young men and women participate in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Lithuania, Poland, etc.” said Pompeo.

Extremely satisfied with Croatian foreign policy, he added:

“We welcome Croatia with open arms as a leader in maintaining stability in this region. As the EU presidency, Croatia has successfully responded to US needs due to the coronavirus situation and paved the way for negotiations with the Republic of Northern Macedonia in March. These are successes you can be proud of. “

“Speaking of visas, I believe we will solve this problem soon,” the US Secretary of State concluded.

Prior to the meeting with the Prime Minister, Pompeo met with the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Grlić Radman in the historic core, and was welcomed at Ploče Gate by the Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković, Mayor Prefect Nikola Dobroslavić and Prime Minister’s Foreign Policy Advisor Vladimir Drobnjak. They then descended into the City and, after a short stroll down Stradun, payed a visit to the memorial to Secretary of Commerce Ronald Brown at the “Ronald Brown Memorial House”.

Photo/Video: Zvonimir Pandža
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