The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is, together with the World Trade Organization, the key platform for creating policies and exchanging initiatives that shape the world economy, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman said on Friday.

He was speaking at an OECD meeting on international trade and supply chains in Paris, the ministry said in a press release.

Especially important in that are trade agreements which contribute to job creation, innovation and prosperity, and they not only significantly contribute to economic recovery but support the green and digital transition as well as technological development, said Grlic-Radman.

He underlined the importance of international cooperation and investing joint efforts in order to overcome the current geopolitical challenges.

Those challenges are unprecedented and are greatly affecting supply chains, resulting in a shortage of raw materials and contributing to inflation, the minister said.

He was in Paris today and yesterday and attended the OECD meeting at the invitation of secretary-general Mathias Cormann as well as the fifth Paris Peace Forum, a ministerial panel on energy security in the context of the green transition, the Ukraine war, and inflation.

“The European Union must continue with efforts to ensure energy security and resilience. I’m confident that we have shown unity and the ability to act in times of crisis and we will continue to do that. The EU focus is currently on measures to mitigate the high energy prices for the purpose of protecting citizens, the internal market, and key industries,” said Grlic-Radman.

“Croatia is contributing significantly and fully supports the current direction of the EU’s energy and climate policies,” he said, adding that most important in the process is to maintain and strengthen the solidarity of the member states.

On the fringes of the forum, Grlic-Radman met with Swiss President Ignazio Cassis.