Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman on Monday attended the 6th Forum of the Union for the Mediterranean in Barcelona and a ministerial meeting of the EU and the Southern Neighbourhood which discussed ways to build a better and safer future for the Mediterranean considering the challenges it is faced with.

“We discussed ways to build a better and safer future for the Mediterranean area that we share, and prevention of the spread of COVID-19, with everyone saying that… cooperation is required,” the minister told the Croatian state news agency Hina after the meeting of foreign ministers of the EU and countries of the Eastern and Southern Mediterranean.

The meeting also discussed economic development, climate change and migrations.

“Dealing with those challenges will require further promotion of relations between the Northern and Southern Mediterranean countries through closer strategic partnership, stronger economic cooperation, investment and sustainable growth,” Grlic-Radman said.

Officials from 27 EU member countries and 15 Mediterranean countries met in Barcelona.

“I spoke about Croatia’s experience, commitment to protecting the Adriatic as well as to protecting the entire Mediterranean,” the minister said.

As for the issue of illegal migrations, he said that Croatia considered as particularly important maintaining a broad dialogue and cooperation on the issue.

Speaking of climate change, he warned of disastrous wildfires in the Mediterranean in recent years and called for stepping up cooperation through joint projects for green development and sustainable blue economy.

“Croatia helped put out wildfires in several neighbouring Mediterranean countries,” he said in reference to Israel, Greece, Turkey, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He called on other countries to improve cross-border cooperation to improve security in the Mediterranean basin.

“Today the Union for the Mediterranean expressed a true readiness to strengthen cooperation on all fronts,” he said.