BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 17. Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman participated in the “Mediterranean Dialogues” (MED) conference in Naples, the leading international forum on the Mediterranean organized by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ISPI institute, Trend reports.
He took part in two panels titled “Shared Destiny: The EU and the Mediterranean in Transition” and “Reinvigorating International Diplomacy: The Role of the Balkans.”
In his remarks on the panel discussing the strengthening of European unity and the EU’s strategic orientation, Minister Grlić Radman highlighted Croatia’s priorities in promoting security, economic development, and people-centered cooperation across the Mediterranean, in the context of the recently announced Mediterranean Pact. He emphasized Croatia’s Mediterranean dimension and announced that Croatia will assume the presidency of the MED9 format as well as the Three Seas Initiative in 2026.
The minister underlined Croatia’s strong support for a permanent political solution based on the “two-state” principle as an outcome of the peace process. He also highlighted the importance of the European initiative to establish a Mediterranean University and added that Dubrovnik, thanks to its rich diplomatic tradition and Mediterranean connections, naturally positions itself as a hub for knowledge, dialogue, and regional cooperation.
On the second panel, focused on the Western Balkans, Minister Grlić Radman stressed that stability in the Western Balkans is linked to stability in the Mediterranean due to interconnected security and political risks, including migration, terrorism, organized crime, and malign influence from third parties.
Expressing Croatia’s continued and strong support for EU enlargement, the minister concluded that Euro-Atlantic integration and the EU enlargement process remain the most effective diplomatic tools for the Western Balkans and contribute to strengthening stability in the Mediterranean.
