Zagreb – President Bashar al-Assad held talks with President Stjepan Mesic of Croatia in a bilateral and another plenary meeting attended by members of the official delegations.
"This is my first official visit to the friendly Republic of Croatia, during which we aim to continue what we discussed with President Mesic during his visit to Damascus last year and discuss a number of issues that came up during the period between the two visits," President al-Assad said in a joint press conference with President Mesic following the talks.
"We held transparent and in-depth talks that aim at implementing solid strategic basis to the economic and political relations between our countries… we discussed the agreement that will be signed to help further cooperation between the two countries," President al-Assad said.
The President added that there are two agreements for economic cooperation and protecting investment, in addition to agreements in the fields of land and marine transport, particularly regarding connecting the eastern coasts of the Mediterranean in Syria and the Adriatic coast in Croatia, as well as cooperation in the field of tourism.
President al-Assad noted that studying these agreements will be expedited in order to sign them and open doors for the private sectors and businessmen councils in both countries to expand trade exchange and joint investments.
President al-Assad: The failure of the peace process casts a burden on European countries to revitalize this process to guarantee security and stability of the region and the world
"I explained to President Mesic Syria's viewpoint regarding raised issues, particularly the issue of peace in the Middle East. I reiterated Syria's stance which seeks achieving just and comprehensive peace based on the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Madrid Conference decisions, which requires a partner in the Israeli side to complete this process," the President said.
President al-Assad saw that the failure of the peace process during the last two decades in achieving peace in the Middle East casts a new burden on European countries to revitalize the stalled process, which guarantees security and stability in the Middle East, Europe and the world.
Peace cannot be separated from the human situation in the Palestinians lands, the crossing points must be open and the siege must be lifted
"The peace process cannot be separated from the human situation in the Palestinian lands," the President said, stressing the need for opening the crossing points that allow Palestinian citizens and the Palestinian territories to connect to the outside world, in addition to the need for lifting the siege and dismantling settlements in the Palestinian territories.
President al-Assad added "I expressed great relief in Syria over what was achieved regarding the Iranian nuclear issue recently through the policy of dialogue, which as I always affirmed is the only way to resolve the region's problems, taking into consideration the legitimate right of countries and peoples to benefit from nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. I affirmed Syria's firm stance concerning making the Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction", concluding by thanking the Croatian government for its participation in the UN forces in the occupied Syrian Golan.
For his part, President Mesic said talks with President al-Assad were held in an atmosphere of friendship and openness, which proves the mutual desire to improve relations between the two countries.
He also expressed happiness over President al-Assad's visit to Croatia after one year of President Mesic's visit to Syria, which was the first visit by a Croatian president to Damascus.
President Mesic noted that President al-Assad is the first Syrian president to visit Croatia, and this fact confirms both sides' desire to boost bilateral relations and cooperation in different domains to higher levels.
The Croatian President said that the Croatian side didn't take full advantage of the opportunities during its visit to Syria, hoping that this visit will achieve what the previous visit couldn't do in bolstering and expanding cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the economic field.
President Mesic: The visit of President al-Assad is a step forward in developing Syrian-Croatian cooperation based on mutual interests
"I discussed with President al-Assad the situation in the Middle East, which is causing legitimate concern around the world… this situation is the source of many of the problems that are facing the international community today. Resolving it means a lot, not only to the region's country, but it will also have a positive effect on the international arena," he said.
President Mesic noted that the solution can only be found on the basis of two states, a Palestinian state and an Israeli state, affirming his country's support for achieving this goal.
He also expressed satisfaction over his country's participation in peacekeeping in the Middle East through the participation of Croatian forces in the UN peacekeeping forces working in the occupied Syrian Golan, saying that all countries in the Middle East deserve to live in peace and security.
"We discussed current world matters… I stressed that the current global economic crisis requires more cooperation among developing countries to decrease the effects of this crisis, which nobody can avoid," President Mesic added.
The Croatian President stressed his country's commitment to the United Nations and the efforts it supports around the world for resolving issues of development, underdevelopment, climate change and terrorism, concluding by saying "the visit of President al-Assad is a step forward in developing Syrian-Croatian cooperation based on mutual interests."
Responding to a question on his vision regarding the connection of the four seas and Syrian-European relations, President al-Assad said "As for connecting the seas… if we can connect all the seas of the world through solid economic and cultural relations, then this would serve peace in the world in general. However, geography is important, and the more geography is close, the more it affects us negatively or positively."
President al-Assad added "In this framework, the Adriatic Sea and the Mediterranean are actually one sea, but there is a separate name for the Adriatic… we discussed in the plenary meeting with President Mesic connecting the Syrian and Croatian ports, which begins by the marine transport agreement."
President al-Assad: Syrian-European are developing remarkably well, we gave priority to cooperation because partnership requires more discussions to achieve Syria's interests completely
President al-Assad confirmed that Syrian-European relations are developing remarkably well, and that there are two axes to these relations; the cooperation axis and the partnership axis, saying "Partnership is a framework for cooperation, a legal framework, but in Syria we gave priority to cooperation for now, not partnership. This is because partnership, legally and technically, requires more discussions so that we can view them as a framework that achieves Syria's interests completely."
On the possibility of resuming the Syrian-Israeli negotiations and Turkey's role in this process, President al-Assad said "For us in Syria, there is public support for continuing the negotiations in order to achieve peace, which is very important to us as a government and as a state," noting that the solution will come together when there is a partner on the Israeli side that is willing to move in the same direction.
"Of course, we need a mediator or sponsor for the negotiations process. Through our experience with Turkey last year, when it conducted indirect negotiations for eight months, the Turkish mediator was very successful in conducting the mediation process," President al-Assad said, indicating that what is required from European countries is to support the Turkish role in the current stage, as the President reiterated to several officials.
President Mesic: We support the requirements of peace and restoring the occupied Syrian Golan to Syrian sovereignty
On the possibility of Croatia playing a role in resolving the Middle East conflict, President Mesic said his country can contribute by bringing together all countries concerned in the Middle East and initiating dialogue among them, adding that he felt during his visits to the region that all the parties concerned are interested in peace, and that Syria plays a major role in achieving peace in the Middle East.
Responding to a question on the requirements of peace in the Middle East, the Croatian President stressed that his country supports the requirements of peace and supports restoring the occupied Syrian Golan to the Syrian sovereignty.
An official reception ceremony was held for President al-Assad at the Presidential Palace in Zagreb, where he was received by President Mesic. The Syrian and Croatian national anthem were played, and the Honor Guard was reviewed.
President al-Assad shook hands with senior officials including Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Neven Mimica, Director of the Croatian President's Office Amir Muharemi, Chief of General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces General Josip Lucic, Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of Croatia Tomislav Jakić, National Security Advisor Sasha Perkovic, Defense Advisor Visnja Tafra, and Development and Science Advisor Izet Aganovic.
In turn, President Mesic shook hands with members of the Syrian official delegation, which includes Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdullah al-Dardari, Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, and Assistant Foreign Minister Abdelfattah Amoura.
By H. Sabbagh / Kh. Aridi
© SANA (Syria Arab News Agency) 2009
