US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has invited Croatia to join the US visa-free regime. This is a step towards the complete abolition of visas for Croatian citizens to the United States, reports N1 TV channel.
“This step towards visa-free travel is a recognition of Croatia’s tremendous progress in meeting strict standards for member states. We expect even stronger relations between the United States and Croatia,” Blinken wrote on Twitter. .
Croatian Prime Minister Andriy Plenković responded to Blinken’s invitation, also on Twitter: “I thank US Secretary of State Blinken for inviting Croatia to join the Visa Waiver Program, which is one of the from the last steps on the way to visa-free travel for Croatian citizens “.
“We reaffirm the partnership between Croatia and the United States, and Croatian citizens who can travel freely to the United States will benefit most from the abolition of visas,” Plenković added.
Earlier this year, it was officially announced that the number of rejected US visas for Croatian citizens in 2020 fell below three percent, which is a prerequisite for the abolition of American visas, N1 television also reported. p>
Today I nominated Croatia to join the Visa Waiver Program. This step towards visa-free travel recognizes Croatia’s tremendous progress to meet the rigorous standards for participating countries. We look forward to an even stronger U.S.-Croatia relationship.
– Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) August 2, 2021