BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 17. Croatian Minister
of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman participated in
the “Mediterranean Dialogues” (MED) conference in Naples, the
leading international forum on the Mediterranean organized by the
Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ISPI institute,
Trend
reports.
He took part in two panels titled “Shared Destiny: The EU and
the Mediterranean in Transition” and “Reinvigorating International
Diplomacy: The Role of the Balkans.”
In his remarks on the panel discussing the strengthening of
European unity and the EU’s strategic orientation, Minister Grlić
Radman highlighted Croatia’s priorities in promoting security,
economic development, and people-centered cooperation across the
Mediterranean, in the context of the recently announced
Mediterranean Pact. He emphasized Croatia’s Mediterranean dimension
and announced that Croatia will assume the presidency of the MED9
format as well as the Three Seas Initiative in 2026.
The minister underlined Croatia’s strong support for a permanent
political solution based on the “two-state” principle as an outcome
of the peace process. He also highlighted the importance of the
European initiative to establish a Mediterranean University and
added that Dubrovnik, thanks to its rich diplomatic tradition and
Mediterranean connections, naturally positions itself as a hub for
knowledge, dialogue, and regional cooperation.
On the second panel, focused on the Western Balkans, Minister
Grlić Radman stressed that stability in the Western Balkans is
linked to stability in the Mediterranean due to interconnected
security and political risks, including migration, terrorism,
organized crime, and malign influence from third parties.
Expressing Croatia’s continued and strong support for EU
enlargement, the minister concluded that Euro-Atlantic integration
and the EU enlargement process remain the most effective diplomatic
tools for the Western Balkans and contribute to strengthening
stability in the Mediterranean.