U.S. State Secretary to visit Croatia next week, discuss visa waiver

ZAGREB, Sept 24 (Hina) – Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman said on Thursday ahead of a government session that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was coming to Croatia next week and that waiving visas was one of the topics to be discussed in the meeting.

Topics to be discussed in the meeting include the Western Balkans with a focus on Bosnia and Herzegovina, a double taxation avoidance agreement, and visa waiver, Minister told reporters.

Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Cyprus are the only member states of the European Union whose citizens cannot enter the United States without a visa. Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said in July that Croatia was in the final phase of entering the USA’s Visa Waiver Program.

It is expected that during his visit to Croatia, Pompeo would meet with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman.

Pompeo has recently visited Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Slovenia. He warned them “against the growing influence of China and Russia”, and it is expected he will do the same in Croatia.

Grlic Radman did not want to say what position Croatia would take on China’s 5G technology and whether Croatia would sign with the USA a joint declaration on 5G security, but he said that that would be discussed.