Zagreb – Today in the Croatian Parliament the Speaker Boris Šprem held a number of meetings. He met with the delegation of the Foreign Policy Committee of the Italian Parliament Chamber of Deputies, led by the Committee Chairman Stefano Stefani, with Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, and he received two ambassadors.
At the meeting with the Italian delegation, the Speaker referred to both Italian chambers’ swift ratification of the Croatian Treaty on EU Accession as the final step of the continuous and strong support Italy had been giving Croatia during its negotiations with the European Union. Šprem and Stefani agreed that, within the framework of the EU membership, parliamentarians could significantly contribute to the already excellent bilateral relations between the two countries. Šprem expressed his hope the Italian Parliament would soon ratify the agreement on cultural cooperation between Croatia and Italy.
In the afternoon Šprem met with Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, and Nils Muiznieks, his newly elected successor taking up the function on April 1 this year.
“Croatia became a member of the Council of Europe fifteen years ago. At that time this membership was of the outmost importance: it was a proof that Croatia respected international standards in the field of human rights and was a credible member of the international community”, stated Šprem adding that Sabor’s unanimous ratification of the Treaty on the Accession of Croatia to the European Union showed that Croatia adopted the highest standards in the field of human rights.
Hammarberg praised the active and professional contribution of Croatian representatives in the Council of Europe. After Sarajevo and Belgrade, he has come to Zagreb to present the document on post-war justice and lasting peace in the area of the former Yugoslavia, treating the topics of war crimes, witness protection, displaced and missing persons. ”A dialogue on this document could help the process of reconciliation, essential for determining historical facts”, stated Hammarberg and expressed his hope that history would never repeat itself.
Today the Croatian Speaker received the Slovenian Ambassador to Croatia Vojko Volk and the Spanish Ambassador Rodrigo Aguirre de Cárcer.