President of Latvia Meets Croatian Foreign Minister
The foreign minister of the Republic of Croatia, Gordan Jandroković, met with the President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers on Wednesday, March 25, as part of the minister's official visit to Latvia. The President expressed satisfaction about the active, friendly and diverse partnership which the two countries have, and he congratulated the minister on steps which Croatia has taken to become a full member of the NATO alliance at its 60th anniversary summit in Strasbourg and Kiel.
Mr Jandroković, for his part, thanked the President for Latvia's support as his country has moved toward European and Transatlantic institutions. Latvia was the second country to ratify Croatia's membership in NATO.
During their meeting, the President and the minister discussed the economic situation in both countries, particularly focusing on future trade and economic relations between Latvia and Croatia, as well as ways of making those relations more active. President Zatlers confirmed Latvia's interest in continuing to expand and develop co-operation between the two countries, citing tourism as an area that might be of particular interest.
Addressing international relations, the two officials discussed Croatia's integration with the European Union, and they also shared ideas about the political situation in the Balkans, not least in terms of peace and stability in the region. President Zatlers remarked that of great importance in this regard is the ability of Europe to come up with a clear sense of what must be done. He confirmed that Latvia fully supports Croatia on its road toward EU membership, adding that Latvia is also prepared to share its experience in the area of Euro-integration.
During his visit, Mr Jandroković also visited the Latvian Occupation Museum. He told President Zatlers that he deeply understands the sufferings of the Latvian people, adding that the return of our country to Europe is truly a success story.
Gordan Jandroković was born in 1967 in Croatia. He is a 1991 graduate of the Faculty of Construction of Zagreb University, where he also earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 1993. Mr Jandroković has also studied at the Institute of International Relations in the Netherlands (1995), the Erasmus University in Rotterdam (1995), and the diplomatic school of the Croatian Foreign Ministry (1996-1997). He worked in the construction industry until 1994, when he joined the staff of the Foreign Ministry. In 2000, Mr Jandroković left the ministry to become general director of two construction companies. He was elected to Parliament in 2003 and re-elected in 2007. He has been his country's foreign minister since January 12, 2008, and is a member of the HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) party.
