Croatia attaches a lot of importance to multilateral forums and dialogue, said Croatian Foreign Minister Marija Pejcinovic-Buric addressing a meeting of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Permanent Council in Vienna on Thursday, said the press release from the Foreign Ministry.

Pejcinovic Buric attended the meeting as the chair of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, by the invitation of Italy, the current chair of OSCE.

She said she was pleased with the cooperation between the Council of Europe and the OSCE and called on the two organisations to continue coordinating their activities and jointly finding responses to new challenges in Europe, such as the migration crisis, terrorism, intolerance or the rise of populism.

The minister spoke about the priorities of Croatia’s presidency of the Council of Europe – fight against corruption, efficient protection of ethnic minorities and vulnerable groups, decentralisation, protection of cultural heritage – which to some extent are identical to the priorities of Italy’s OSCE presidency, which provides additional opportunities for cooperation.

During her visit to Austria, the Croatian minister met with representatives of local Croat associations, saying that Croatia would continue to care for the Croat expatriate community and help it preserve its identity, language and culture as well as their minority rights.

Pejcinovic-Buric also visited the Croatian Catholic mission in Vienna.

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