Croatian interior minister meets Vatican secretary of state in Marrakesh

Croatian Minister of the Interior Davor Bozinovic met with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin at the UN conference on migration in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh on Tuesday.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Bozinovic noted that several of the 23 goals of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration adopted on Monday, were included in this agreement "on the direct insistence of Vatican diplomacy."

"We agree that this global problem requires cooperation between states, there is no other way to resolve it in the long term," he added.

Bozinovic said he had informed the Vatican diplomat about the situation on the Croatian border and the increased pressure from migrants coming via Bosnia and Herzegovina. He said that Croatia was doing all it could to deal with this problem "within a regular framework", aware that it would not be possible to deal with the problem of migrants on the border but through international agreements.

"We are certain that this compact is the first step in regulating one of the biggest challenges facing the world today and the generations to come," the Croatian minister said.

Asked about the Vatican's view on the work of the Croatian border police, Bozinovic said that they had not discussed police matters today, but that the Vatican was aware that the Croatian police were guarding the border against illegal migration.

"That is a rational approach," Bozinovic said, adding that as part of the European refugee relocation and resettlement programme Croatia was working on resettling some of the refugees from Syria who had come from Turkey or had been relocated from Italy.

He said that Croatia "is rational in terms of numbers so as not to provoke any reactions that would jeopardise the openness that Croatia is demonstrating."

"The Vatican is well aware of this and welcomes it," Bozinovic said.

Text: Hina

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