“Croatia has got a new President-elect, Zoran Milanovic, ex-prime minister from 2011-2016, due to take the Office on 19 February 2020. This fact will in no way affect our relations with Albania. All our presidents, including Zoran Milanovic, have a very positive attitude towards your country,” said Croatian Ambassador
By Genc Mlloja
Senior Diplomatic Editor
Croatia holds the EU Presidency for the first time in exceptional circumstances within the Union and across the world, has said the Croatian Ambassador to Albania, Zlatko Kramaric, who highlighted some of them in an exclusive interview with Albanian Daily News. To mention some the Ambassador sorted out the last year elections of the European Parliament, a new EC, new commissioners elected, new budget was discussed, Brexit. “In October 2019 North Macedonia and Albania were not given the green light to open negotiations, meanwhile, a new enlargement methodology was devised, and there are a whole host of other challenges, from old-new upsets of military conflict, climate change, to the emergence of some level of proactive responding to challenges related to Corona Virus. So the world is truly full of challenges,” he noted.
Referring to domestic developments Mr. Kramaric said Croatia has got a new President-elect, Zoran Milanovic, ex-prime minister from 2011-2016, due to take the Office on 19 February 2020. “This fact will in no way affect our relations with Albania. All our presidents, including Zoran Milanovic, have a very positive attitude towards your country,” said Croatian Ambassador.
Croatia assumed officially the rotating six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 January 2020 taking it from Finland.
“A strong Europe in a world of challenges” is the motto of the program and priorities of the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, said the Ambassador, who noted that his country is aware of all the political and other challenges that are being faced on a daily basis. “Therefore, it is a real opportunity for the Republic of Croatia to initiate the adoption of such a common and binding platform, which will, above all, redefine Europe/EU’s role in the world. Simply, at this point, the EU/Europe does not have adequate answers to a whole range of questions.”
Speaking of his main priorities during the ambassadorial tenure in Albania Zagreb’s top envoy to Tirana said that with the help of the hosts, Albanian institutions, new circumstances, he will try to improve some things further. “I modestly think that as much as possible, in all segments of cooperation (from politics, economy, all the way to culture, sports, science), and since I come from the world of culture and science, I will be more focused on these areas.”
The Ambassador was cautious on the results of the Zagreb Summit in May this year regarding EU enlargement, but, however, he expected that some of the hopes from that event will come to fruition. “It is also of Croatian interest that the WB countries become members of the large EU family as soon as possible. This, in my view, is an indispensable part of redefining Europe’s role in the world.”
A former ambassador to Pristina, Mr. Kramaric was of the opinion that the problems related to Serbia and Kosovo can only be resolved through open political dialogue, where the null premise of all talks, both bilateral and multilateral, must be: Kosovo is an independent state!
The Ambassador had a message to the Albanian people, civil society and politicians for overcoming the ongoing political crisis in their country. “The Albanian politicians need to reach national consensus on some key issues, such as EU membership, and the need for a reform agenda, which is, above all, the interest of Albanian citizens and not of some EU-bureaucrats in Brussels. I am convinced of the wisdom of the ‘Albanian political mind’ – you have a good memory and you are aware of what life was like in a non-democratic country, so I am a big optimist,” said Croatian Ambassador Ztatko Kramaric in the interview which follows:.
–Albanian Daily News: The year 2020 has started with two major events for Croatia: the EU Presidency, which started on January 1 being the first since joining the Union in 2013, and the election of the new president. Mr. Ambassador which is the significance of these two highlight events for Croatia?
Ambassador Kramaric: The Republic of Croatia holds the EU Presidency for the first time. Although this function is rotating, every six months another country holds the presidency, it can be said that our presidency happens in exceptional circumstances: in May last year, elections were held for a new composition of the European Parliament; in the meantime a new EC, new commissioners were elected, new budget was discussed…, for the first time one member left the EU voluntarily, the migrant crisis is still ongoing.
In October 2019 North Macedonia and Albania were not given the green light to open negotiations, meanwhile, a new enlargement methodology was devised, and there are a whole host of other challenges, from old-new upsets of military conflict, climate change, to the emergence of some level of proactive responding to challenges related to Corona Virus. So the world is truly full of challenges.
Croatia has got a new President-elect, Zoran Milanovic, ex-prime minister from 2011-2016, due to take the Office on 19 February 2020. This fact will in no way affect our relations with Albania. All our presidents, including Zoran Milanovic, have a very positive attitude towards your country.
–Regarding the EU Presidency which is the motto of Croatia’s platform at a time when the Union is confronting many challenges with the Brexit process underway, talk on internal reforms and in addition many hotspots of conflicts in different parts of the world which pose a real risk to peace and stability worldwide?
-The Republic of Croatia is aware of all the political and other challenges that we face on a daily basis. Therefore, it is a real opportunity for the Republic of Croatia to initiate the adoption of such a common and binding platform, which will, above all, redefine Europe/EU’s role in the world. Simply, at this point, the EU/Europe does not have adequate answers to a whole range of questions (just remember the different positions within the EU on the migrant issue, the vague views on the enlargement process, the relation of the global vs the sovereign, the relation to the old, Christian Euro-values, which both address the universal value…). Obviously, one paradigm has worn off and a new one needs to be created that will offer more adequate answers to existing problems and challenges. So, the program and priorities of the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the European Union will be held under the motto “A strong Europe in a world of challenges”.
– Your Excellency, a few months ago you presented your credentials to President Ilir Meta as Zagreb’s top envoy to Tirana. Could you please unveil some of your main priorities during your ambassadorial tenure in Albania with which Croatia has a strategic partnership?
– I am aware that the world does not start from me, so I will just continue the work of my predecessors. And with the help of the hosts, Albanian institutions, new circumstances, try to improve some things further.
I modestly think that as much as possible, in all segments of cooperation (from politics, economy, all the way to culture, sports, science), and since I come from the world of culture and science, I will be more focused on these areas. There is a saying that it’s always possible to do better and more, so we will do our best to make it so!
– Croatia has been an unwavering supporter of Albania in its EU accession drive. In general it has strongly backed Union’s enlargement towards WB countries, and its EU presidency has been considered as a promoter of this process. In this frame which are the expectations from the Zagreb Summit in early May?
– There should be no illusion that all the problems related to the enlargement policy will be resolved at the Zagreb Summit, but I expect that some of the hopes you are making about this event will come to fruition. Finally, it is also of Croatian interest that the WB countries become members of the large EU family as soon as possible. This, in my view, is an indispensable part of redefining Europe’s role in the world.
We need to know exactly what we expect from this part of Europe. It is not logical to approach this space in the way of the 18th century European enlighteners.
– Mr. Kramaric you have been Ambassador to Pristina earlier. Which is your opinion on the EU sponsored Pristina-Belgrade dialogue with regard to its delivery to normalize the relations between Kosovo and Serbia?
– Pristina is my first diplomatic experience, so I keep a close eye on all the tide events in that country as well as in the region. I think all the relevant politicians share my point that the problems related to Serbia and Kosovo can only be resolved through open political dialogue, where the null premise of all talks, both bilateral and multilateral, must be: Kosovo is an independent state!
And from that fact all other answers should be derived.
– In the meantime, Sir, there are many ongoing initiatives in the WB to which the so called regional Mini-Schengen undertaking has recently been added launched by Albanian PM Rama and Serb President Vucic. What do you think about this initiative particularly against the backdrop of the reluctance of some WB countries to participate in it?
– As the new Commissioner of the EC, Oliver Varhelyi said for enlargement, and right here in Tirana, “we in Brussels are following this initiative, this process with ‘open eyes’ “. Furthermore, the Commissioner praised the economic aspect of this initiative, and we asked him how the political aspect was viewed in Brussels, given that some countries WB (Kosovo, Montenegro, BiH) do not participate in this initiative at all, election fever shakes North Macedonia, it is uncertain who will win, relations between Belgrade and Podgorica are never worse … but it is always better to talk. It is also clear to the political elites of these countries that they cannot seek understanding from others, from the EU, without behaving responsibly towards their own citizens, their future.
– As this is the first talk with ADN, Mr. Kramaric could you please share with our readers some of your highlights of your career as an academician, Mayor, MP and diplomat, and how have they complimented each other in your political, social and diplomatic life?
– By vocation, I am an university professor who, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and all those ‘happenings of the people’ in Serbia, the arrival of Milosevic and the inadequate political responses of most Yugoslav communists, decided to enter politics. And as a member, a very quickly became one of the leaders of Croatian liberals and President of the Liberal Party (2000-2003). In 1990, I was elected Mayor of Osijek, the fourth largest city in Croatia, in the first democratic elections, and was elected four times by its citizens. In the period from 1992 to 2018, I was also a Member of the Croatian Parliament, first Ambassador of Croatia to the Republic of Kosovo, Croatian Ambassador to the Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Consul General to the Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ambassador in Albania since a few months ago.
I still teach at the University of Osijek and Skopje, although rarer, but I find the professorial post as the only real constant in my life. I also write books, mainly in the fields of the theory of literature in anthropology, Macedonian studies (topics related to the name and identity) and so on, nothing special. Maybe your readers will be interested in something more about Osijek, the political-economic-cultural and scientific center of eastern Croatia, the largest city in the Republic of Croatia that suffered the war devastation (1% of the population i.e. about 1.500 citizens were killed from 1991-1992). Osijek is 20 miles away from the Croatian mythical town of Vukovar and 480 miles to the Albanian town of Vlora – we should have been cities friends but talks about it were interrupted. Later on, Osijek and Elbasan became cities friends in 2015. Their municipalities have arranged a twinning partnership – cooperation in various fields, mostly in economic development, investments, cultural and educational exchanges, etc.
–To conclude which is the message of a diplomatic envoy of a friendly country to the Albanian people, civil society and politicians for overcoming the political crisis which has gripped Albania?
– These are always “homeworks to do” and I am convinced that your politicians, with the cooperation of the media, NGO, independent public can solve them. It won’t be easy, but I don’t know what the alternative could be – if we agree that in politics one must forget, suppress private interests, that the “work on the tiles” is directed towards the public, general interests (one only needs to read the speeches of Vaclav Havel or the Croatian poet and politician, Vlado Gotovac and others – like Abraham Lincoln), then half the work is done.
Furthermore, the Albanian politicians need to reach national consensus on some key issues, such as EU membership, and the need for a reform agenda, which is, above all, the interest of Albanian citizens and not of some EU-bureaucrats in Brussels. I am convinced of the wisdom of the ‘Albanian political mind’ – you have a good memory and you are aware of what life was like in a non-democratic country, so I am a big optimist. Well, sometimes, one has to have the strength and admit that the opposition can be right, because there will be times when the roles will be changed. At the end – you have great and sincere friends in Croatia and me.
© Argumentum.
