We want all those committed to democracy and a global order based on international law to remain on the same side

The Prime Minister is accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ivan Anušić and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman.

In a statement to the media, Prime Minister Plenković stressed that the key topic of this year's conference is the global order and all the problems the world has been facing in the last few years.

In this context, he also referred to the speech given by German Chancellor Merz at the conference today, who spoke about his view of global relations.

Merz said that Germany will continue to support a just solution for Ukraine, while strengthening economic and security cohesion at the level of the European Union and having partnership relations with the United States, said Prime Minister Plenković.

The future of transatlantic relations

When asked by journalists how he sees the future of transatlantic relations, the Prime Minister said that, as far as European partners are concerned, the extended hand is still there.

He added that tomorrow everyone would have the opportunity to hear a speech by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The fact is that the world is changing, that traditional alliances are a little less solid than before, that there are many crises, wars, aggression, violations of international law, and that the entire global governance system based on multilateralism and respect for the rule of law currently has serious shortcomings, said Prime Minister Plenković.

"That is why it is important that all those who are committed to democracy, to the fundamental principles on which the international order is based after World War II, continue to be on the same side. This is what Croatia wants and what we advocate," he said.

Croatia, he added, is strengthening itself both economically and militarily and wants to make a contribution based on its experience, which has been painful, difficult and demanding over the past 35 years.

"Thanks to the Croatian defenders and the courage of President Tuđman and the Croatian leadership at the time, we won the Homeland War. Now we want to share our experience with others, wishing above all for peace and stability, because without that there is no economic, social or civic development," he said.

Opportunities for Croatia through the Three Seas Initiative

When asked about the Three Seas Initiative, Prime Minister Plenković reminded that Croatia is one of its founding members.

Croatia will host a summit and economic forum in Dubrovnik at the end of April, and we want this forum to bring together as many stakeholders from the world of business as possible, he said.

The three most important aspects of cooperation are - establishing better connectivity between the Baltic, Black Sea and Adriatic, primarily through trans-European corridors, investing in energy infrastructure and cooperation in terms of digital transformation, one of the global priorities, the Prime Minister stated.

Close cooperation between Croatia and the United States in the fields of defense and energy

With US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Prime Minister Plenković confirmed the excellent relations between Croatia and the United States.

They discussed key global security challenges and bilateral cooperation in a number of areas, and Prime Minister Plenković invited Secretary of State Rubio to visit Croatia when his obligations permit.

When it comes to cooperation in the field of defense, it was assessed as excellent, especially in the context of the major process of modernization of the Croatian Armed Forces and the transition from Eastern to Western military technology.

"I emphasized the importance of Croatia's accession to the OECD and the imminent ratification of the Agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation," said Prime Minister Plenković after the meeting, at which he also announced to the Secretary of State the upcoming summit of the Three Seas Initiative in Dubrovnik.

"We confirmed our intention to continue close cooperation in the fields of defense and energy, especially by using the capacity of the LNG terminal on Krk, where most of the liquefied natural gas comes from the USA. I emphasized the strategic role of the JANAF oil pipeline as a reliable route for the delivery of oil to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe," Plenković emphasized.

Full equality of Croats as a constituent nation is important for the functionality of BiH

They also touched on the situation in Southeastern Europe, and the Prime Minister advocated support for Bosnia and Herzegovina, achieving full equality of Croats as a constituent nation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and continuing activities regarding the implementation of the Southern Gas Interconnection project.

Prime Minister Plenković also discussed the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt.

"It is extremely important that Bosnia and Herzegovina advances on the European path and that it starts accession negotiations as soon as possible. I pointed out that for the sake of long-term stability and functionality of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is crucial to ensure full equality of all three constituent nations", said the Prime Minister after the meeting.

Croatian community's contribution to economic cooperation with Germany

Plenković also met with the Prime Minister of Hesse, Boris Rhein, and the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst.

"Our priority is to further expand the excellent political and economic cooperation with the German federal states - with the important contribution of the Croatian community, which connects Croatia and Germany," the Prime Minister emphasized.

Defense cooperation and acceleration of digitalization

With leading representatives of CGS and Rheinmetall, the Prime Minister discussed the possibilities of cooperation in the field of defense, as well as the development of technological solutions to strengthen security and accelerate digitalization.

He also met with Keith Svendsen, CEO of APM Terminals, a global operator of ports and container terminals and one of the main investors and operators of the Rijeka Gateway terminal.

"Together, we are positioning Croatia as a Mediterranean logistics hub for Central Europe," he emphasized about the meeting.