President Mesić and H.E. Mohsen Sharif Khodaei , Photo by www.predsjednik.hr

NEWCOMERS

Ambassadors of Iran and Australia hand over the credentials

In his speech, the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran, H.E. Mohsen Sharif Khodaei said that Iran was the first Asian country and the first among Islamic countries to have recognized Croatian independence:

- The mutual ten-year friendly relations during your presidential term have always evolved and expanded in a way that most of the contracts and memoranda of understanding and cooperation in various fields have been signed during that period.

- It is my deepest conviction that the membership in the Euro-Atlantic integration itself, no matter how important it is, can not satisfy all of the Croatian interests in the world - president Mesić said, pointing out that during his mandate he has always stressed the importance of developing relations with countries that are outside Europe.

Delivering the credentials, the Ambassador of Australia H.E. Beverly Anne Mercer pointed out the common interests of Australia and Croatia in a multilateral sphere which includes the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, the fight against the terrorism and climate change.

- Croatian contribution to the international security, including a contribution in Afghanistan, is another area where we share the same opinions - said the new Ambassador of Australia.

Receiving the credentials, President Mesić stressed that, unfortunately, the economic cooperation has not reached the desired level and that the "completing and accomplishing the legal framework for this cooperation remains one of the high priority tasks."

Predsjednik Stjepan Mesić and H.E. Beverly Anne Merce, Ambassador of Australia