The Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Vesna Pusic, met wit

The Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Vesna Pusic, met with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in the northern Adriatic island resort of Brijuni on Saturday.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Pusic said that they had discussed the UN's priorities in the next term and Croatia's tasks both in the UN and in other multilateral organisations. They also talked about a possible durable role of Croatia in stabilising the Western Balkans region and about cooperation with southern Mediterranean countries.

"Of course, we could not avoid the worrying situation in Syria and its impact on the wider neighbourhood. Croatia at the moment participates with unarmed military personnel as part of the UN mission in Syria," Pusic said, adding that the situation in Syria "is deteriorating by the day."

Pusic said that at this point it was important to engage all forces, primarily Russia, "without whose active participation it is impossible to resolve the situation."

Earlier in the day, the UN secretary-general, who is on a three-day visit to Croatia, met with President Ivo Josipovic and Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic. (Hina)