Croatian President Stjepan Mesić met King Abdullah II in Jordan on Friday and addressed the World Economic Forum for the Middle East on the subject of the Mediterranean Union.
Addressing the conference, President Mesić stated that the Mediterranean Union should serve as a bridge connecting the countries on the shores of the Mediterranean with those in its hinterland.
"We know that since the outset of the Mediterranean Union project there have been certain doubts both in the European Union and in some countries outside Europe," President Mesić said, adding that he believed those doubts were unfounded.
"The Mediterranean Union does not call into question the project of European integration, nor does it affect the integration processes on the African continent. Croatia believes that the Mediterranean Union should be a bridge connecting not only countries linked by the Mediterranean Sea but also those in its hinterland," Croatian President emphasized.
"That means that the Union should not be closed to any country that sees its interests in it," he said and added: "I am confident that the Mediterranean Union project could provide a suitable framework for additional efforts to resolve one of the world's longest and most dangerous crises, that in the Middle East."
President Mesić later told reporters that his talks with King Abdullah II focused on the situation in Southeast Europe and the Middle East. "King Abdullah informed me about the processes in the Middle East. He is relatively optimistic," Mesić stressed, adding that they also discussed economic cooperation.
"We concluded that several agreements have been signed and that INA is beginning an oil and gas exploration project in Jordan. We also said it would be good if the King visited Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina because it would have a calming effect on the situation in the region," Mesić said.
On the margins of the forum, President Mesić briefly met Slovenian President Daniel Tuerk.
"We greeted each other, but we did not talk much. I would like to talk with him, but I do not know if there will be an opportunity," Croatian President conveyed.
The World Economic Forum for the Middle East is taking place in the King Hussein Convention Centre by the Dead Sea from Friday to Sunday. Attending are over 1,400 business people, political officials and representatives of the civil society sector from 85 countries.