Heads up – Embassy 17 – May 2009

Steady hand at the helm

Ivica Tomic has always been in the business of forging links. Long before the Croatian Ambassador to London entered Croatia’s diplomatic service in 1993, the one-time assistant minister at the Croatian Ministry of Transportation and Maritime Affairs had been connecting Croatia to the rest of the world through a vast network of ports and pipelines, roads and railways, tunnels and bridges.

So it was no surprise that the Ambassador’s first job after joining the foreign ministry in 1993 was as the national coordinator for the Adriatic-Danube Initiative, an early attempt to improve transport links between the countries of Central and Eastern Europe – even at the height of the Yugoslav wars in 1993. Later he was involved in the Adriatic Ionian Initiative, proving that forging transport links can strengthen diplomatic ties as well.

“We are situated in the centre of Europe, geographically and strategically, which means we are an important gateway to Central Europe and to the continent, particularly for ships from Asia and the Far East,” says Ambassador Tomic. “So it made sense that one of our first attempts at regional cooperation involved infrastructure.”

His involvement with the countries along the Danube was a useful launching pad for his first Ambassadorial posting in 1993 to Slovakia, which had just seceded from the Czech Republic in a peaceful ‘velvet divorce’.

Postings followed in Turkey and Cairo, with concurrent accreditations to no less than 15 other nations in Central Asia and the Middle East where he put his knowledge of infrastructure to good use in pipeline diplomacy.

Before coming to the UK, Tomic was assistant minister for bilateral affairs at the Croatian Foreign Ministry, where he forged links with countries across the globe from Russia to Latin America.

Arriving in London, his first job was hosting a reception to celebrate Croatia’s accession to Nato, a noteworthy achievement considering the country emerged from a bitter regional conflict 15 short years ago. But Croatia’s experience also means it can make a positive contribution to the Alliance, says Tomic.

“We have highly-trained soldiers, who are experienced in post-conflict situations and we have a well-developed defence industry,” he says, adding that Croatian troops are already serving in challenging environments such as Afghanistan, Somalia, the Golan Heights as well as a raft of peacekeeping operations.

With Nato’s accession achieved, much of the Ambassador’s time will be devoted to Croatia’s other main foreign policy goal: accession to the European Union.

“Croatia is on track to complete negotiations by the end of this year,” he says. “It is a complex process which demands the engagement of all segments of society but there is cross-party consensus on joining the European Union.”

Public support for joining the EU remains high even though this has meant some painful internal reforms, he adds.

“These reforms are important,” he stresses, “not just for the accession process but because we are committed to creating a prosperous and fair society.”

But while internal reforms are progressing well, Croatia’s bid to join the club has been held up by an external factor – a border dispute with neighbouring Slovenia.

The European Commission has intervened with Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn offering a compromise proposal, which Croatia accepted in May but Slovenia wishes to amend.

“Our view is that this bilateral dispute is a separate issue which should be decided by an international court of arbitration,” says Tomic. “Croatia should be judged by objective criteria and if we meet the standards required by the European Commission to join the EU, that should be the only thing that matters,” he stresses.

In the meantime, Croatia is proceeding with technical reforms, says the Ambassador: “We are undertaking all the preparations on a technical level so when there is a breakthrough with Slovenia we will be able to close the outstanding chapters.”

The UK has provided “invaluable support” to Croatia’s EU accession process, adds Tomic, particularly in offering technical assistance in reforming the judiciary.

Croatia hopes to be able to return the favour by offering the expertise to other countries in the region queuing up to join the EU. “This is important for the stability and security in the region and the EU. So we are extending all assistance in this process,” he says.

There is also plenty to do in the bilateral sphere, from forging business and academic links to attracting British tourists to Croatia’s beautiful beaches and historical sites. Visitors currently number some 220,000, but the Ambassador is keen to exceed the pre-war levels of 600,000 tourists.

And as a one-time ship’s officer who once studied ports at Cardiff University, he is thrilled to be back in a country with a proud naval heritage. Trips to Britain’s naval museums are in the pipeline, and, time permitting, a sailing holiday on the west coast of Scotland.

But whether it’s navigating a boat or tricky negotiations, Croatia is fortunate to have Ambassador Tomic as a steady hand at the helm.